An estimated 250,000 people across the Scottish capital watched the Eastern themed Edinburgh International Festival 2011 go out with a bang last night at the annual Edinburgh Fireworks Concert.
Keith Webb of Pyrovision and his team of 15 pyrotechnicians choreographed over 100,000 fireworks (4 tonnes of fireworks) from Edinburgh Castle, while below in Princes Street Gardens conductor Garry Walker led the Scottish Chamber Orchestra through a programme of music inspired by Asia, Arabia and the East.
The pyrotechnic display was watched from vantage points around the city, with many people tuning in to live broadcasts of the concert on Forth One and Forth 2. The concert was also relayed on a large screen to a family viewing area at Inverleith Park.
The concert opened with the overture from Ruslan and Ludmilla composed by Mikhael Glinka in the late 1830s. The sky above the Castle blushed with candy-pink globes and red-hot pokers pierced the sky.
Following on The Oriental Procession from Belshazzar’s Feast by Jean Sibelius, danced to life with disco-ball sparks and weeping willows of gold.
The Scottish Chamber Orchestra forged forward with In The Steppes of Central Asia by Alexander Borodin, which saw the Castle light up with a chartreuse glow and the hypnotic waterfall cascaded down the crags with phosphorescent sparks.
Blackmoor’s Dance from Carl Nielsen’s Aladdin Suite saw bold rainbow fans pierce the night sky like peacock tails.
A favourite amongst children of all ages, extracts from Tchaikovsky’s most famous ballet The Nutcracker featured next in the programme.
The Arabian Dance brought tones of the desert heat with choreographed flame throwers and golden snakes tracing sand dune curves. Veils of gold sparks tumbled down the facade before red jets accompanied the trilling flutes of the Chinese dance. The acrobatic Russian dance provided the perfect soundscape for whizzing rockets and shimmering sparks.
The Virgin Money Fireworks Concert 2011 concluded with a second offering from Borodin. The Polovtsian Dances are a contrasting succession of pieces from the unfinished opera Prince Igor. The strong and bold melody was fittingly celebratory as the sky erupted with the grandest of grand finales.