As festivals go, the Manchester International Festival is practically a masterpiece. Only just coming up for its’ second outing, the festival has already amassed considerable credibility, attention and praise both here and abroad. First launched in 2007, the biennial event is set to burst forth once again with a host of original and inspiring performances from the fields of music, drama and art between Thursday 2nd July and Sunday 19th July 2009.
For those living further afield and for the international followers, Manchester Airport is close by. Several European and UK airports offer flights to Manchester including Edinburgh Airport, Heathrow Airport, Barcelona Airport and Malaga Airport. As the festival venues are spread out widely it may be handy to organise a Manchester Airport car hire, especially if this a first visit to the sprawling and cosmopolitan city with its’ many tourist attractions. There are six hire firms based within Manchester Airport Arrivals and these are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt.
The festival´s major hook is that it is the world´s first to comprise solely brand new work and arrangements using leading artists. Last time over 200,000 turned out to be amused and amazed and it is expected that that the figure will be larger this year. Several of the events are free but understandably the bigger scale productions are tickets only. Of these a major highlight will be the monster Mancunian collaboration between Mercury Prize winners Elbow and the Hallé, Britain’s longest established symphony orchestra.
Possibly the most eagerly anticipated of the events though is likely to be “It Felt like a Kiss”, created by Punchdrunk, Adam Curtis and Damon Albarn, who contributed massively to the first festival. This unusual production is promoted as a ghost story, where the ghouls represent the nefarious forces at work beneath the surface of the American dream. Spread over 5 floors of a disused building, the audience is led through a story which begins in 1959. It eerily contrasts the progression of music through the golden age of pop, including original compositions by Albarn, and the US rise in power using elements such as documentary and a fairground ghost train.
Likely to be another favourite is that put together by Grammy-nominated singer/song-writer Rufus Wainwright who has joined forces with director Daniel Kramer and conductor Pierre-André Valade to produce a tale about a once revered operatic soprano called “Prima Donna”. Set in 1970, it is about the star’s return to the spotlight after a 6 year absence and her attempt to try to beat the demons that originally ended her career. The lead role, Régine, is played by Janis Kelly and is supported by Opera North. Wainwright said inspiration came from sources such as the legendary Maria Callas and Sunset Boulevard.
Back by popular demand, extraordinary male ballet dancer, Carlos Acosta, considered to be the greatest of his generation, will be dancing again this year at the festival. His programme of dance will include Stravinsky´s classic “Apollo” choreographed by Balanchine and Debussy´s “Afternoon of a Faun” devised by Jerome Robbins, as well as a wholly new creation entitled “Young Apollo” by rising star choreographer, Adam Houghland. Accompanied by the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra and supported by a selection of talented dancers, each evening will see a dramatic intertwining of both classic and modern works.
On to a funkier note and hip hop legends De La Soul are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their album 3 Feet High and Rising with a show at the festival that includes a ten-piece band and special guests. Also, from Friday 3rd July onwards, the specially designed Festival Pavilion gives people a place to meet, relax and be entertained for free by a range of the city´s best club DJs from Contort Yourself, Sweet Sensation, Phil Beckett, Dave Haslam, Natalie Brogan and Micron. There will be a bar dishing up food made from locally sourced ingredients and serving drinks late into the night.
If it all seems a bit too grown up, fear not, as gigs have been set up to cater for the younger generation. “Same Teens” is aimed solely at 15 to 19 year olds and will see DJ sets from Tim Burgess and Televised Crimewave combined with a host of support bands and headliners, Mystery Jets. Other highlights of the festival include performances from Kraftwerk, artist Marina Abramovic and the ironically named Young@ Heart Chorus.