Edinburgh Festival set to rock as event breaks with tradition
THE world’s most prestigious arts festival has added two more rock musicians to its line-up for August.
Richard Reed Parry, from Arcade Fire, and Byrce Dessner, from The National, will perform alongside the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) on August 28, as part of the Russian Standard Vodka Hub Sessions at the Edinburgh International Festival.
The two, whose joint composition for st r i ng orchestra Wave Movements was announced previously for this concert, will now also take to the st age with members of the SCO to perform Heart & Breath.
This piece, which has been composed by Reed Parry, will feature Bryce Dessner on guitar and Richard Reed Parry on bass.
Another addition to this event is Murder Ballades, a score based on American ballads about murder, composed by Dessner.
It was originally created as a score for LA Dance Project who appeared at the Festival in 2013.
The appearance of the duo marks another signal that the EIF, under its new director Fergus Linehan, is to embrace a wider range of music for the future.
Alongside traditional classical music, orchestras, ballet and opera, Linehan has programmed singer -songwriter Sufjan Stevens, Sparks and Franz Ferdinand, and King Creosote for this year’s festival.
Mr Linehan said: “To me the artists in this series represent some of the freshest and most creative minds in contemporary music.
“The International Festival has a rich history of presenting outstanding musicianship and we are thrilled that the Russian Standard Vodka Hub Series will offer festival goers a wide range of genres and styles in a wonderfully intimate venue.”
Meanwhile, the umbrella body that co-ordinates Edinburgh’s festivals is seeking a new director.
Festivals Edinburgh has begun its recruitment process to find a successor to Faith Liddell, who is leaving her post in the autumn. The organisation was established in 2007 to organise collaboration between the 12 festivals in the city.
The new director will work with the board of Festivals Edinburgh and the individual festivals – including the Fringe, the Edinburgh International Festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival and the Tattoo.
Ken Hay, the chairman of Festivals Edinburgh, said: “We are seeking an exceptional individual to drive forward the next phase of Festivals Edinburgh’s work.”