Music: Edinburgh’s Sixth

The soot-blackened spires of the Old Town and battlements of the ancient castle were brave with banners. Flags of many nations streamed gaily from each two-decker tram. Shop windows glittered with Scottish silver and tartans. Even dour taxi drivers got into the spirit of the thing and gave unsolicited lectures on local points of interest. The sixth Edinburgh International Festival of Music and Drama was in full swing.

There was plenty of it. At 11 a.m. every day except the Sabbath for three weeks, there was scheduled a chamber music concert; at 2:30, a ballet or a performance by Monologist Emlyn Williams; nearly every evening, a concert by Britain’s Royal Philharmonic* or one of five other symphony orchestras, a performance by the Hamburg State Opera, dancing by the New York City, Sadler’s Wells Theatre or Marquis de Cuevas ballets, or a play.

The crowd flocked to performances of Der Rosenkavalier, were slower to buy up seats for Hindemith’s more modern Mathis der Mahler. They cheered for Eduard van Beinum and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra when it played The Rite of Spring and for Sadler’s Wells Theatre Ballet’s new Reflection, liked Tyrone Guthrie’s production of an 18th century ballad opera, The Highland Fair.

But the cognoscenti gave their closest attention to the Festival Piano Quartet (a string trio and piano). Its players were famous “lone wolves of music,” Pianist Clifford Curzon, Violinist Joseph Szigeti, Violist William Primrose, Cellist Pierre Fournier, and its founder was the late great Pianist Artur Schnabel. Like most serious musicians, the big-name soloists love to play chamber music; for the privilege of playing together, they agreed to accept fees far below their normal standard. Their performances of Brahms, Schubert and Fauré were brilliant. But few listeners outside of Edinburgh will have a chance to hear them: the quartet will disband after playing one benefit concert in London.

Before the festival was over, Edinburgh had reason to congratulate itself. More people—some 600,000—were expected to come to the Scottish capital’s party than ever before. And no true Scot could be indifferent to the fact that the festival visitors would leave behind them between £2,000,000 and £3,000,000.

* Conducted on opening night, in a brilliant all-Sibelius program, by famed Sir Thomas Beecham (see PERSONALITY).