2008: Artists without Borders

8 - 31 August

The 2008 Edinburgh International Festival was an artistic, critical and financial success. Jonathan Mills's second Festival as Director had a central theme of 'Artists without Borders' inspired by the artistic and cultural resonances stemming from the expanded and contested boundaries of Europe and further afield.

Artists from Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bosnia and Georgia were juxtaposed with work from Lebanon, Turkey, the Palestinian Territories, Israel and Iran, all places with particular challenges on their own borders. Music from orthodox Christian traditions was presented alongside devotional masterpieces from Islam. The rich traditions of gypsy music, a source of inspiration to composers from Brahms to Bartok, were also heard rejecting the idea of borders of any kind altogether.

Visit the 2008 website

2007

10 August - 2 September

Festival 07 attracting plaudits from both audiences and critics. It was the first Festival programmed by Jonathan Mills who was appointed in March 2006. In his first year guiding the Festival Mr Mills placed an emphasis on the importance of mythology and allegory and through his 2007 programme examined how the first fusion of music and drama, Monteverdi's 1607 Orfeo, led to the development of opera as a creative discipline.

International artists included orchestras from Germany, Spain, Venezuela and England; opera companies from France, Italy and England; dance companies from Belgium, USA and France; theatre companies from Austria and USA and visual artists from Taiwan and Slovenia. Scottish companies included National Theatre of Scotland, Scottish Ballet, Theatre Cryptic, Hebrides Ensemble, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Visit the 2007 website