Candide

Source: The List (Issue 582)
Date: 9 August 2007
Written by: Carol Main

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The International Festival opens in diverse style

In setting up this year’s Opening Concert of the Edinburgh International Festival, Jonathan Mills has quickly ditched the tradition of a Sunday evening kick-off (although the St Giles’ Festival Service remains in place for the morning) and has brought ‘official’ Festival proceedings into the realms of Fringe dates territory.

In selecting Bernstein’s Candide as the musical content for this break from the past, Mills is perhaps hinting that he sees even more common ground to be found between Fringe and Festival. Candide itself is a hybrid. Billed as an opera, it actually began life as a musical, based on Voltaire’s satirical novella of the same name. To start off with, it was a box office disaster, but, like many a Fringe show that’s gone the same way, its central message is about optimism and living in the best of all possible worlds.

Usher Hall, 473 2000, 10 Aug, 8pm, £10–45.

More: International Festival (Edinburgh Festivals), Classical (Music), Opera (Music)

Last updated: 25 Jul 2008 17:14 BST