{"id":44377,"date":"2023-08-04T10:42:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-04T09:42:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artmag.co.uk\/?p=44377"},"modified":"2023-08-09T13:04:21","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T12:04:21","slug":"changing-the-tune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artmag.co.uk\/changing-the-tune\/","title":{"rendered":"Changing the tune"},"content":{"rendered":"

This August, visitors to the Edinburgh International Festival will notice a few changes. The first programme under new director, Nicola Benedetti, has no shortage of big hitters in opera, theatre, music and dance. But the top violinist has also brought an ethos which feels new, a radical determination to make the Festival more accessible.\u201cMy vision as director is to provide the deepest possible experience to the broadest possible audience,\u201d she said, launching the programme to the assembled media in April. Pledging \u201cunprecedented investment in audience experience and community participation\u201d, she said her team would \u201charness our storytelling power to make our festival as relatable as possible to anyone and everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

This includes innovative alterations to the seating at the Usher Hall (read on for more), and making frequent use of introduction and spoken interpretation within orchestral presentations. Benedetti went on: \u201cWe will be speaking more to audiences\u2026 not because the art is not enough. We want to develop, over the years, a deeper culture of listening and understanding for seasoned arts lovers and an environment that feels open, enticing and inviting to new, diverse and younger audiences.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the idea of interrupting a Dvor\u00e1k symphony for a bit of commentary is enough to make a music purist drop their opera glasses. Kenneth Walton, classical music critic for The Scotsman, says: \u201cTampering with the Edinburgh International Festival has always been a dangerous game, particularly among the diehard classical music set. Successive Festival directors have variously toyed with or studiously avoided it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s clear that Benedetti has a fresh vision for the Festival, and that to achieve her goals requires persuasion, not revolution, otherwise she would face rebellion from the time-honoured festival faithful, and have a job on her hands finding a replacement audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

Benedetti, however, is determined to shake up (at least in some concerts) the traditional sit-down-and-play format, drawing on her experience as a performer to argue that providing audiences with context and background enables a different kind of listening. In an interview with Classic FM, she said: \u201cIn a high percentage of people, it\u2019s an exponential shift. It\u2019s the difference between listening self-consciously because you don\u2019t understand what\u2019s going on and just being open. When you\u2019re more relaxed your emotions are free and there is potential for depth of experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

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