Edinburgh. (International).(opera at the Edinburgh Festival)

Of course, there isn't any such thing as the Edinburgh Festival. It is rather a cornucopia of individual festivals--a festival of overlapping festivals, if you will--that practically submerges the picturesque Scottish capital from late July through August every year. The seven official components are the Jazz and Blues Festival, the International Book Festival, the International Film Festival, the Mela (a two-day celebration by the areas Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi communities), the Military Tattoo, the Festival Fringe, and the International Festival, but all this activity is liable to spawn others: a couple of years ago there was a double-bass festival, of all things, and this year the newspapers published articles about an upcoming TV festival. And, though not all reports are yet in, 2002 seems to have smashed box-office records for most of the events--especially the Book Festival, the Tattoo (a special edition for the Queen's Jubilee, attended by Her Majesty herself for the first time ever) and the Fringe.

The Fringe alone is a phenomenal event. Originally just an unofficial adjunct to the prestigious International Festival, it has ballooned to become easily the world's largest arts gathering. This year there were 1,491 shows available in more than 20,000 performances involving some 12,000 participants--about 1,500 shows a day, around the clock, in almost 200 venues ranging from regular theaters to churches to whatever space is available around the bar of a pub. In addition, a portion of the Royal Mile (the street running through the Old Town from Edinburgh Castle to Holyrood Palace) is awash with street performers and thronged by avid young participants passing out flyers to advertise their particular event.

The variety of shows is mind-boggling. The official Fringe guide is a book of 216 pages, listing shows in eight categories. The largest categories are "Comedy" and "Theatre," most of which is advertised as cutting-edge and some of which actually is. Among the other categories are "Music" and "Musicals & Opera." "Music" this year included everything from jazz to Scottish fiddles to classical recitals, some of quite high quality. "Musicals & Opera" was heavy on musicals but did include a full-length The Marriage of Figaro (in English) and a couple of productions of Dido and Aeneas.

Variable quality is perhaps inevitable, when the performers range from members of high-school drama clubs to seasoned professionals (Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins teamed up for one Fringe show this year); anyone can perform at the Fringe. As the official program says, "If you're inspired (or appalled) by what you see, get in touch with the Fringe Office to find out about putting on a show next year." So, how does one know what to choose? Well, one doesn't. There are reviews published daily in a number of readily available (some free) newspapers, but they are not exhaustive and are sometimes misleading. So after perusing reviews, the descriptions in the Fringe guide and flyers passed out on the street, and considering word-of-mouth reports from fellow audience members (just as bedazzled as you are, no doubt), you make your choices and hope for the best. Sometimes you pick real winners, such as a review of Kander and Ebb songs, or almost anything utilizing the Russell Collection of Early Keyboard Instruments at St. Cecilia's Hall, or the manic send-up of classical music by comedian Rainer Hersch in his "Club Mozart" show. But then sometimes, you don't. But at least the ticket prices are always reasonable.

The ground is much firmer in the International Festival, which ran this year from August 11 to 31. Here again there was a wide range of types of offerings--opera, concerts, recitals and ballet, to be sure, but also theater, Scottish political song, Indian classical dance and avant-garde modern dance. The roster of performers and ensembles was sprinkled with big names--Abbado, Frittoli, Bostridge, Quasthoff, Goode, Mackerras, Rizzi, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Vienna Burgtheater, many others--and rising stars, such as bass John Relyea, baritone ...