大象传媒

ANNA MAGNUSSON

It must have been 40 years ago, but the memory is as clear as water.听 I鈥檓 walking up Lothian Road towards the Usher Hall.听 It鈥檚 early evening in August, and the sky is milky. The Edinburgh Festival is in full swing, and the streets are heaving with people, all squeezing past each other, talking and laughing, or stopping suddenly to study a map and look around.听

I hurry on up the road.听 There鈥檚 my friend, standing outside the Usher Hall, waiting for me.听 Crowds of people are streaming inside. There鈥檚 an energy, an excitement swirling around us.听 I greet my old school friend, and in we go, shoulder-to-shoulder with hundreds of chattering strangers.听听

It was a Mahler concert, I remember that.听 I remember听 - I can still feel - the bolt of energy and delight that struck me in the chest when the music began.听 And all of us, friends and strangers, were captured and connected in a moment.

All those decades ago, and that evening has never faded.听听

MUSIC:听 MAHLER鈥橲 SYMPHONY NO 5 IN C SHARP MINOR (First Movement); BERLIN PHILHARMONIC CONDUCTED BY CLAUDIO ABBADO
Album: Mahler, Symphony No 5 in C-Sharp Minor, Deutsche Grammophon

ANNA
I鈥檓 sitting on a hill, looking over to that unmistakable profile of Edinburgh, with the hump of Arthur鈥檚 Seat outlined against the big sky, and the cragginess of the castle, and the city spread around them like a blanket. That鈥檚 the city where I went to university, where my grandparents lived and where I worked for many years.听

And I鈥檓 sitting here thinking how delicious it is to be able to look forward to the Festival, after those past few years when first the city streets were deserted, then we felt our way back so tentatively.听 We worried it would never make a full return.

My mother used to say, 听鈥榊ou never know the minute鈥� - and it鈥檚 true.听听 But what kept the light of the festival going was that we chose to hope.听 听We believed that we could always find a way to celebrate life and creativity and the joy of coming together.

MUSIC: HYMN - GATHER US IN
Glasgow University Chapel Choir, 大象传媒 Archives

ANNA
What I鈥檝e always loved about Edinburgh during the Festival, is how the city comes to life.听 听It blooms in the light and heat of creativity.听听 听Creativity across the board, from opera to street theatre. Not just classical concerts and ballet, but the words and ideas and music which fill tiny venues and makeshift stages across the city.

My sister was in a university theatre group in the early 1980s. I went to see her performing in a rather strange kind of morality play.听 It was in a small, dark studio, and much of the performance is now a blur. But I still carry the picture in my mind of my sister, as Jesus, dying on the cross. She was wearing baggy trousers and a T-shirt. She looked thin and vulnerable.听 And there was one bright orange light shining on her as she hung there.听

This wasn鈥檛 some great theatre or innovative art: but it was intensely moving. 听Even in a small, stuffy, below-street venue. The students weren鈥檛 performing for prizes or fame; they were sharing something they believed was important. 听And there was power in that , and in the honesty of young people trying to create something meaningful.听 I鈥檝e certainly never forgotten it.

MUSIC:听 WATERWAYS, LUDOVICO EINAUDI
Album: In a Time Lapse, Decca (UMO) Classics

Just as I鈥檝e never forgotten the Usher Hall and Mahler鈥檚 music surging through me.听 This is creativity. This is what gives life to mind and heart and imagination.听 And the great joy of the Edinburgh Festival is that we鈥檙e experiencing this creativity with others 鈥� side by side in a theatre or concert hall, or standing together in the street.听 We鈥檙e sharing the moment.听听

In amongst all the buzz and excitement of a media gathering, the Edinburgh International Festival鈥檚 Director, Nicola Benedetti, shared her vision with us.

NICOLA BENEDETTI - Interview

MUSIC 鈥� AULD LANG SYNE VARIATIONS, NICOLA BENEDETTI
Album:听 Homecoming 鈥� A Scottish Fantasy;听 Record label - Decca

ANNA
God of our souls and minds and hearts,
God of the spark of light which creates
Words and music and imagined lives 听-听听
We give thanks for poetry and song
For theatre and painting and dance
And the joy of sharing them with friend and stranger.
Amen.

ANNA
I remember the first long Covid Lockdown in 2020 鈥� those twelve weeks when normal daily life stopped; when the coming together of people was suddenly cut off.听 It was as if a huge axe had severed all those tentacles we extend out into the world, which connect us to each other.

Those social threads 鈥� they鈥檙e like the root systems of trees. 听Underground, these roots are connected to other trees near them. They can even share nutrients if they鈥檙e needed.听 And we know this is true of us, too: when we share stories and experiences, when we come together 鈥� we鈥檙e strengthened and encouraged.

During that lockdown, when we began to fear that busy concert halls and churches and crowded streets would become things of the past, I found solace in a video which the Icelandic pianist, Vikingur Olafsson, put online.听 He was in a huge empty building - an abandoned house, maybe - just him and the piano. And he began playing the Andante from a Bach Organ Sonata.

The scene changed to outside, where people were coming out of Nissan-type huts, and walking together, by the sea and under the sky. Together they moved towards the big, empty building.听听听 One by one, drawn by the music, they went inside and listened, standing side by side.

Even now I find it enormously moving.听 I remember how I felt watching it for the first time.听 It wasn鈥檛 just that I was captured by the music听 鈥� it was that I felt part of something bigger. I was connected to the music and to the other people listening with me.

As Vikingur played, the threads of the music moved with and through each other, growing, and dipping and emerging again.听 Summoning memory and emotions with them.

MUSIC:听 听V脥KINGUR 脫LAFSSON, ORGAN SONATA NO.4 BWV 528 鈥� 2: ANDANTE (ADAGIO)
Album: J.S. Bach 鈥� Works and Reworks; Composer J.S. Bach transcribed by August Stradal
Deutsche Grammophon听 DEN961830305

ANNA
That music touches me deeply.

And this reading I love for its intimacy and poetry 鈥� it鈥檚 Psalm 139.听

O Lord, you have searched me and known me,
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You discern my thoughts from far away,
You search out my path and my lying down,
And are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O Lord, you know it completely.
You hem me in, behind and before
And lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
It is so high that I cannot attain it.听

ANNA
Edinburgh during the Festival throbs with energy and excitement.听 Thousands of people rushing from venue to venue, feasting on great banquets of creativity and socializing.听听 It鈥檚 an extraordinary atmosphere of high excitement and enjoyment.听

Imagine, now, that you鈥檝e just arrived here from a place of war.听 You鈥檙e 25 and you鈥檝e been invited to Edinburgh with your theatre group.听

That鈥檚 how the Bosnian documentary film-maker Samir Mehanovic came from the city of Tuzla in 1995, invited by the Festival impresario, Richard Demarco. 听听At that time Tuzla was under siege by the Serbian army.听 听

Samir still remembers the shock of coming from a city at war, to a city en fete鈥�

SAMIR PART 1

厂补尘颈谤:听听 I was trying to follow my dream and set up little youth theatre.听 Our youngest one was 10 year and I was 25 year old.听 There was bombing every day like rain in UK or in Scotland.听 It became your reality, you know 鈥� hunger, lack of food, bombing, deaths, deaths of your neighbours, relatives.听

And it was spring night, May, very beautiful and warm night where youth was gathered on the main square, 200, 300 youth.听 And then I was walking from rehearsal taking little boy home to his parents.听 And just 10 minutes after we left the main square the bomb dropped in the middle of the youth.听 And that was shocking I mean, it was massacre.听 71 young people lost their lives.听 The youngest one was 4, and most kids were in their teenagehood and in their 20s.听 So it was a difficult, harrowing moment and experience.

础苍苍补:听 So you鈥檙e coming from darkness and deprivation and war, and being dropped into this sort of cauldron of excitement and art.听 What was it like, that contrast?

Samir: I have to say that war is deeply traumatizing. So I remember myself and kids just walking down the High Street and for everybody today in Edinburgh when you're here, you know it's 1 o'clock by the gun shooting from the castle.

And we literally have thrown ourself to the ground, because for us that sound was sound that something will drop down very soon.听 And it took a while really to heal of that initial reaction.

So for us, it was like, you know, just jumping from one horror show that's actually was very real into something that is very mundane and bourgeoisie, and in the same way, uplifting, you know, because it's like some children that just after being kept in cellar appeared on funfair, you know, and that funfair was art and theatre, and something we strongly believed in that was part of our resistance in Bosnia.

Anna: How do you feel about this idea, Samir, that the creativity that blossoms at a festival like the Edinburgh Festival can actually do far more than simply entertain or distract, it can actually - can it heal and communicate? Do you believe in the power of the arts like that?

Samir: Well, I remember in 1995 we met theatre company from Belgrade in same venue, you know. 听And that was like, you know, dropping the shields and actually barriers, and we were able to tell what was going on in Bosnia. And they were listening, actually.听

And I remember even after that in late 鈥�90s, that we had people from Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia, and in that way art was place to meet, that was the future, you know. That was power of art, of healing, and today we live in the region of former Yugoslavia, people collaborating in various ways in art, sport, you know culture, etc. 听And when we look to the history of Edinburgh Festival, it was established after Second World War, to become art of healing of what we know now as the modern Europe and modern world.

My daughter, actually, when she was little, and when she stared at a Christmas lights for the first time, I have actually told her: Look, this is like world, you know, to be able to shine, the tree needs all lights, you know.

Art is way of forgiving, and we are all one on that big tree.听 And I believe some souls were fully blossomed, some give fruit, and some are just little buds, but that's not the reason that we don't join togetherness and ability to communicate through power of art, you know.听

And every time when the Edinburgh festival actually blossoms, we can feel it, like just waves and waves of different fruits on one big tree of unity.听 And it goes beyond, conscious and subconscious, and it goes directly through who we are - our anima, our soul.听 And in that way we can walk out enlightened, enriched, and actually get subtle messages that can change our way of thinking and feeling and understanding the world, and break prejudices, and actually make us feeling very close to one another in many ways.听

MUSIC: 听VOX HUMANA - SURE ON THIS SHINING NIGHT
Album: Into the Night: Contemporary Choral Music, Naxos
Composer: Morten Lauridsen / Words: James Agee

鈥淜indness must watch for me this side the ground 鈥� all is healed, all is health 鈥� hearts all whole.鈥�

NICOLA BENEDETTI - Interview

MUSIC:听 THE LARK ASCENDING, NICOLA BENEDETTI
Album: Fantasie;听 Composer: Ralph Vaughan Williams
Decca

ANNA
One of the things I found most moving about Samir鈥檚 story is his deep conviction that art and theatre and film-making saved him.听

SAMIR PART 2
For me, personally, without Edinburgh festival, I think I would be deeply damaged, because when you go through traumatic experience of war, and that's what people really note about Ukrainian refugees that are in UK, once you're out of that traumatic experience, it starts rewinding somehow.

Like any other shock and deep, deep trauma of humans in war, once you get out of that, you start surviving moment by moment that what you went through, you know, and I believe for me personally, later films as well have helped, first Edinburgh Festival and still is power of healing, and actually dealing with trauma and telling other human fellow beings that we live within the same community of humanity, within the same big umbrella of togetherness, on the big tree as a humans that we need not to harm each other and live within peace and love.

MUSIC:听 LUDOVICO EINAUDI AS BEFORE

I was privileged to grow in diverse community where unity was taught from childhood, you know.听 And I have to say this, I had nice coffee with my Serbian friend today.

The way I grew up for me unity was way of living, and that's what's tragedy of war, and this unity becomes interrupted.

I remember my mother would make Eid Baklava and lunch for neighbours that were Orthodox and Catholic Christians.听 And that unity was for me 6 major celebration, which was 2 Eids, but also 2 Christmases, because we have Orthodox and Catholic Western Christmas that鈥檚 different days.

And I know that that unity reflected with my neighbour, who was Serb, a Christian Orthodox lady, would invite my mother for lunch for Christmas. For me and my childhood friends, that unity still exist. And despite political bigotry, we are still one in unity, in humanity.

ANNA
Hanna Tekliuk is a refugee from Ukraine whose family has been separated by the war.听 She鈥檚 been living in Edinburgh since the spring of last year, and this will be her second festival in the city.听

HANNA
I came to Edinburgh because I was fleeing the war.听 I was so terrified about my three children and my husband and my family, that I wanted to save at least part of the family.听 I couldn鈥檛 take my husband and my eldest son with me but I could take my two younger children, and myself and, we all got into the car only a week after the war started.听听听

When I was her in Edinburgh last year and it was the time for the festival in August I was looking, I was going by bus and I was looking at all those people celebrating life, celebrating festival, taking part, crowding, drinking coffee 鈥� and I was thinking that, oh no, I just cannot experience the same joy and the same happiness, I could not share it with them because there was war going on in my head, and I was thinking that Ukrainians are suffering a lot, how can I be happy at this moment?听 How can I experience joy? 听So I think I haven鈥檛 attended a single event during the Festival last year. I just wanted to be at home.听

And this year I鈥檓 thinking a little bit differently about the festival. 听Sometimes people who are abroad, I mean Ukrainians who are abroad, who are safe, who have their daily bread, and who have some places to live in, feel a bit guilty. It鈥檚 very difficult to figure out for us how they should feel, and how they could help more, in this situation.听 Because the situation is terrifying, it鈥檚 absolutely awful.听 Hundreds of people are killed every single day, and there seems to be no end to that.听

And I decided to take part in several events, to have a look what is going on, because it鈥檚 going to 听heal a bit of pain which is in our hearts probably we can forget our sorrow for several seconds, and then it will come again and as soon as the show finishes or the comedy comes to an end we will immediately remember what we probably were able to forget for several minutes or hours. But people just cannot be, you know be that sad for a long period of time, because people are tired and people need some more energy and inspiration to go on with their lives, and to support themselves a bit.听

I was thinking that if I feel too sad or upset, depressed, it doesn鈥檛 help anyone.听 It won鈥檛 help to win the war, it won鈥檛 help to save the soldiers, or to help those mothers who are crying because they lost their sons or husbands or brothers.听

And we can go on with our life we understood that we are not going to give up, we will go on and we will be happy people here.听 Hopefully.听

ANNA and HANNA
God of love and healing -
Here where life and joy and human creativity are celebrated -
We pray for peace and friendship.

HANNA听 Help us to look beyond our own needs and to connect with each other.
We pray for kindness to guide our thoughts and our actions.

ANNA听 This is a city of great beauty and prosperity and learning,
And also of deep poverty and inequality;
A city of theatres and concert halls and art galleries
And of urban decay and neglect.听

HANNA听
For those who have little, and for those who know they have too much
We pray this morning.
For sharing and inclusion
And the hand of friendship.

ANNA听 This city lives under the same sky as all the places of joy and suffering across the world,
And this morning we hold in our hearts the people of Ukraine
We pray for those who鈥檝e lost their homes or livelihoods in the fires in Europe;
And for the thousands of men and women and children risking their lives in small boats听 To find a better life, a more hopeful and peaceful life.听

HANNA听 Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.听 听听听

ANNA听 May this city which opens its arms to creativity and sharing
Be a place of welcome for everyone
Whoever we are, whatever our story.
In Jesus鈥� name we pray, Amen.

MUSIC:听 COME HOLY GHOST, OUR SOULS INSPIRE
St Giles Cathedral Choir directed by Michael Harris, Organ Peter Backhouse. 听大象传媒 Archives听

ANNA
When I think about what, for me, is at the heart of creativity, it鈥檚 the connections which flow from the coming together of people 鈥� and it doesn鈥檛 need to be a big organized Arts Festival.

In my background it was the gatherings my parents had in our living room. Neighbours, musicians, friends of my father from the arts鈥� a proper ceilidh, where someone would recite a poem, someone else would sing, or tell a story.听听 The heart of Highland social life in the past was the ceilidh 鈥� a word which meant a visit, or visiting.听 And the Highlanders who came to Lowland cities like Glasgow 鈥� as my great grandmother did from the island of Mull 鈥� they brought their songs and stories with them. 听So our family parties were full of singing and reciting and music, and when someone stood to tell a story or recite a poem, the room would become still and intent.听 All these people sitting shoulder to shoulder, on the edge of armchairs,听 on the floor or squashed up by the fireplace 鈥� listening and imagining, in communion.听听听

That鈥檚 what I鈥檓 remembering when I think of all the words and songs and ideas which will pour out of the Edinburgh Festival for the next three weeks.听

And that鈥檚 what I鈥檓 hoping everyone can experience in their own way, wherever they are. 听In my mind鈥檚 eye I鈥檓 seeing lots of people sitting together, out and about in the streets, eating, drinking, talking, listening.听听 There are thousands of different conversations and encounters happening.听

And at the heart of everything is the sharing of our stories, in friendship and love and hope.听听

MUSIC:听 DUNCAN CHISHOLM, RUBHA NAM MARBH
Album: Affric, Copperfish Records CPFCD005; Composer 鈥� Eamonn Doorley