Edinburgh International Festival 2024 preview supplement: e-mag

As the Edinburgh International Festival’s Audience Manifesto rightly points out, “there is no singular view on why a symphony matters, what makes opera relatable or how dance makes us feel.” However, as the manifesto also states, a little context – and in particular, a sense of connection with the human stories behind a work you're about to see – can materially enhance your experience of it.

Which, of course, is where The Scotsman's unrivalled team of critics comes in. Between them, the five writers contributing to this supplement have spent a combined total of 149 Augusts covering the EIF. As such, when it comes to providing that all-important context they are able to draw on a vast well of memory, both when speaking to artists about how the featured works came into being, and also, where appropriate, when explaining how those works fit into the EIF’s rich, soon to be 77-year history.

So, on pages 4-5, Kelly Apter speaks to choreographer Rodrigo Pederneiras about the double bill he and his company, Grupo Corpo, are bringing to this year’s EIF, and also looks at how all three dance shows at this year’s event hark back to previous Festivals. Similarly, on pages 8-9, Ken Walton is able to interview Jennifer Stumm, founder of the Ilumina initiative to develop young musical talent, through the prism of other, similar projects which previously featured at the Festival.

Elsewhere, look our for Fiona Shepherd’s interview with EIF returnee Youssou N’Dour (p.10-11); Joyce McMillan’s deep-dive into the process of adapting Amy Liptrot’s award-winning novel The Outrun for the stage (p.6-7); and, on p.2-3, David Kettle’s illuminating conversation with director Andreas Homoki, about his time-bending new adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen.

*Roger Cox is arts editor of The Scotsman & Scotland on Sunday