After it was established at the end of World War II to promote cultural activities,the Edinburgh International Festival has become a symbol of European art and culture. Now in its 64th edition,the festival has been given an Oriental slant,and working towards it is festival director Jonathan Mills. I am not skeptical. A skeptic would say that we are happy to stay in our European paradigm and are not interested to explore Asian culture, says Mills,on a Delhi visit,part of his Asia tour to promote the new vision of the festival that will take place in Scotland from August 12 to September 4. It will explore the cultural influence of Asia on Europe and vice versa and hope to build a bridge between the two continents, he adds,pointing out that majority of the entries are from Vietnam,India,China,Indonesia,Japan and Korea. A By Invite only Festival,this year will have four performances from India,an exhibition on traditional Indian textiles and a talk by author-MP Shashi Tharoor,among others. Pandit Ravi Shankar returns to the festival after 27 years. He will perform Evening Ragas at a concert. While Ustad Amjad Ali Khan will present the Morning Ragas,the Bengaluru-based Odissi troupe Nrityagram Dance Ensemble will make its debut at the festival. The programme might seem unusual,as the festival is revered for abiding to Western classical traditions,but Mills assures this is not a gimmick. I was curious to explore the time of the day concept in Indian classical music. The audience may not relate to it,but they will be interested. I want to highlight the importance of the atmosphere in Hindustani classical music. The time of the day you perform does not matter for a Beethoven symphony, says Mills,who has been shuttling between India and Scotland for four years scouting for projects. The last five years were about shifting the central gravity of the festival away from being only about Europe, says Mills,previously the artistic director of the Melbourne International Arts Festival and Brisbane Biennial International Music Festival. Interpretations of Shakesperes work will also be part of the festival. The Shanghai Peking Opera will present Hamlet in an acrobatic format and a Korean and Taipei-based group will present adaptations of King Lear and The Tempest. The European performances have also been chosen keeping the Eastern sensibilities in mind. There will be British composer Jonathan Harvey,who is deeply influenced by Buddhist ideas and traditions. Amjad Ali Khans performance will be followed by an orchestra that will play late French composer,Olivier Messiaens symphonies,inspired by Hindustani rhythms and scales. When one plays Messiaens compositions,a trained European ear notices that it is different from usual European classical music. The similarity to Hindustani music becomes clear after hearing the latter, says Mills. Next year,the theme of the festival will be on the lines of the Olympic Games in London.
