Edinburgh Festival Opening Event
George Heriot’s School, 2/8/24
Edinburgh International Opening Event – The Rituals that Unite Us
The 2024 Edinburgh International Festival got underway on Friday night with a truly spectacular opening event in the grounds of the iconic George Heriot’s School, with fabulous views looking north to the castle. The show, created by Pinwheel and Creative Director, Katy Fuller, and sponsored by The Macallan, will be repeated on 3rd and 4th August at the same time and at the same venue.
‘Where to Begin’ is a kaleidoscopic, immersive event, lasting just over an hour, and is in two parts. The first is a sort of promenade in which spectators wander round the western end of the school grounds as several performers act out little scenarios, largely based around whisky making, on a repetitive loop. This is interesting if a little, well, repetitive, and if, like our party of the editor of the EMR, myself, and our partners, you stop to watch the proceedings from the side, a sense of desperation takes hold, as an actor climbs a ladder to nowhere, fire erupts from one side or another, and a bodhrán thumps mesmerically, and again! And again! It is visually spectacular, with flaming torches everywhere and the old school lit up wonderfully, but soon phrases like “Is this it?” begin to be heard.
Fortunately, there is more, and once we are all encouraged to move down to the main playground (and has there ever been a school playground with such a view? – the castle, the Royal Mile skyline and Arthur’s Seat off to the east), the second part of the event begins. Projected on to the north wall of the school, we are taken on a journey to Edinburgh’s past and present, a Son et Lumière video projection of fantastic quality, with a fabulous score pouring forth from enormous speakers. A narrator tells us about the formation of the city, its geological origins, its mythical qualities, its murky depths as well as its crowning glories, and some of the effects are simply stunning. We see the walls tremble and shake, we are taken on a tour of the city’s iconic views, we tumble deep into the inner fabric of the rock itself, and we see the whole place crash to pieces before our very eyes, all the while entranced by music. We hear the serene beauty of Karine Polwart’s clear voice, and we are inspired by the voice of the Narrator, Andrew Rothney. To remind us that this is the Opening Event of the Edinburgh International Festival, still one of the world’s greatest classical music festivals, we hear the strains of the Pilgrims’ Chorus from Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser’ which was memorably played last Festival, conducted by Sir Donald Runnicles, and the Dies Irae from Verdi’s Requiem, which will be performed at this year’s festival.
All in all, this was a spectacular beginning to the 2024 Edinburgh International Festival, a thrilling combination of visual and aural splendour which augurs well for the next three weeks.
