The Edinburgh International Festival, 1947-1996

About this book

In this major reference work, Eileen Miller traces the history of one of the world's largest and most prestigious arts festivals. 1996 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the Edinburgh International Festival which has, over the years, played host to many of the world's most gifted artists, such as Bruno Walter, Herbert von Karajan, Kathleen Ferrier, Maria Callas, Sir John Gielgud, Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn. The Festival has also helped to launch the careers of renowned performers such as Jessye Norman, Claudio Abbado and Daniel Barenboim as well as championing the work of the twentieth-century's most important composers. The Festival's progress is charted with chapters devoted to each of its eight directors. The economic, political and artistic challenges faced by these men and the committees they worked with, and sometimes against, provide a rare insight into the particular problems and rewards of arts administration on an international scale. The appendices, which comprise the second half of the book, are as important as the preceding historical narrative. Information provided includes a chronological listing of all main performances, masterclasses, workshops and public lectures, giving dates, case lists, conductors and soloists; alphabetical lists of operas, plays, ballets and world premieres; index of performers; and details of Festival accounts to 1995 and a list of sponsors.