The best EIF classical music - Scotsman critic Ken Walton previews the 2024 programme

Polish countertenor sensation Jakub Orliński teams up with Zurich-based Baroque specialists Il Pomo d’Oro in arias by Monteverdi, Strozzi and others. Queen's Hall, 3 August

Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Harry Baker

Bach and Janáček and Villa-Lobos cross paths with Bill Evans and singer-songwriter Lianne La Havas in this eclectic programme by cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (right) and pianist/composer Harry Baker. Queen's Hall, 14 August

​Opening Concerts

La Pasión según San Marcos and St Matthew Passion: Two Passions in quick succession make for a dazzling opening spectacle at the Usher Hall. Argentine Osvaldo Golijov’s San Marcos promises a pulverising Latin American vibe, while the BBC SSO and Edinburgh Festival Chorus follow up with Mendelssohn’s 1841 adaptation of Bach’s original St Matthew Passion. Usher Hall, 3 and 4 August

Bruckner 9

Sir Donald Runnicles hits 70 this year. In line with that milestone he’s back in his home city to conduct his former orchestra, the BBC SSO, in Bruckner’s awesome Ninth Symphony. Usher Hall, 23 August

Yuja Wang

After her stunning Ravel concertos with the Oslo Philharmonic at last year’s festival, the irrepressible Yuja Wang (left) is back for a solo recital that promises “virtuoso masterpieces” from classical to contemporary. Famous for her daring wardrobe, she’ll no doubt dress accordingly. Usher Hall, 5 August

Maxim Emelyanychev & Principals of the SCO

Emelyanychev swaps his conductor’s baton for a role as solo pianist in this programme of key Mozart chamber works, starting with the “Kegelstatt” Trio for piano, viola and clarinet. Queen's Hall, 13 August

Bamberg Symphony Orchestra

In its three-day residency, the orchestra under Czech maestro Jakub Hrůša explores repertoire ranging from Hans Rott’s Symphony No 1 to Dvořák’s evergreen “New World” Symphony. Violinist Isabelle Faust and cellist Sol Gabetta feature in Brahms’s Double Concerto. Usher Hall, 6-9 August​

Mahler 5

Sir Mark Elder ends his 24-year musical directorship of the Hallé Orchestra this summer with Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. Not only do they perform this exhilarating work (alongside Lili Boulanger’s Psalm 130), but Elder also explores its inner workings in Inside Out, one of the Festival’s illuminating new beanbag concerts. Usher Hall, 17 August

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Fire in my mouth

A particular highlight in the Philharmonia Orchestra’s residency, in which it is joined by the National Youth Choir of Scotland under Marin Alsop, is the multimedia UK premiere of Julia Wolfe’s Fire in my mouth, an elegy to the 146 victims of New York’s tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire of 1911 – each represented by a chorus member. Usher Hall, 21 August

​Pierre-Laurent Aimard

A rare chance to witness the compact intensity of Schoenberg’s piano music and the iconic Variations Op 27 of his pupil Webern. Aimard sets these in fascinating context with Brahms, Schumann and Scriabin. Queen's Hall, 21 August

For more information, and to book tickets, visit www.eif.co.uk