Tue 10 Jul 2007

The Festival is a wonderful, heady, full on experience, but everyone needs to find a moment for a little peace, when they can change the pace and recharge the soul.

This year the Edinburgh International Festival celebrates early music with a landmark series of concerts, recitals and opera by some of the genre’s leading musicians. This takes its most compact and comprehensive form at Greyfriars Kirk.

A new strand of hour-long concerts at Greyfriars Kirk at 6pm most evenings, offers audiences the opportunity to catch an amazing line-up of ensembles while leaving time to go on to later evening Festival performances.

Highlights include harpsichord virtuoso Rinaldo Alessandrini and world class vocal ensemble Concerto Italiano performing madrigals from all of Monteverdi's books across five concerts in the first week of the Festival. This acclaimed ensemble famous for its Monteverdi performances promise beautiful early evening escapes in the atmospheric surrounds of Greyfriars Kirk.

In weeks two and three, the Harmony and Humanity concert series takes the slot at Greyfriars Kirk at 6pm featuring a stellar line-up of ensembles.

Celebrated female vocal ensemble Anonymous 4 perform haunting chants and beautiful polyphony to recreate Music from Eleventh Century Provence and an authentic performance of A Ladymass dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Glorious medieval vocal group The Orlando Consort stage two monumental nights of medieval music from Josquin Desprez, Machaut and Dufay.

One of the world's foremost choral conductors Paul Hillier lead three of the world's most prominent early music ensembles; Theatre of Voices and Phantasm, Theatre of Voices and Ars Nova in two concerts from English medieval composers William Byrd and John Taverner.

Italian countertenor Claudio Cavina and Italian group La Venexiana realise the emotionally intense and darkly atmospheric work of composer Carlo Gesualdo.

The twelve singers of premier European medieval and renaissance vocal ensemble Huelgas Ensemble led by Paul Van Nevel present works by one of the most important and influential sixteenth century composers Orlande de Lassus.

Specialists in European Renaissance sacred music The Tallis Scholars perform music from Giovanni Palestrina and seventeenth century music from the golden age of the Iberian Peninsula including Gerrero’s Maria Magdalene, Victoria’s Versa est in Luctum and Padilla’s Lamentations.

German vocal ensemble Cantus Cölln will perform a fitting finale to the Festival series of polyphony with music of JS Bach’s Motets.

This strand of early evening concerts presents a wonderful opportunity to catch a world class experience and fit it into your busy Festival day.