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Flamboyant Feast set for Farewell
Posted 25th July 2006
A cornucopia of international talent including, for the first time, military and civilian performers from Chile and China, will help bring down the final curtain on 12 years of Brigadier Jameson’s time as the Edinburgh Tattoo's Chief Executive and Producer at this year's 57th Castle esplanade spectacular (4-26 August).
With over 1,000 performers, featuring a Ugandan orphan choir, Swiss percussionists, 80 Nepalese musicians, and the new Royal Regiment of Scotland, the show is set to present a magical mix of style, pizzazz and humour together with all the ceremonial pomp and splendour for which the Tattoo is globally recognised.
Preparing for his final Tattoo at the production helm, the Producer said: "Our aim as always is to produce the best Tattoo in the business and I am confident this year will be no exception."
As a tribute to the Scottish Soldier this summer's event opens proceedings with the UK premiere of a specially composed Fanfare, entitled The Gathering, written and directed by Major Graham Jones, Director of Music, The Regimental Band of The Coldstream Guards.
It is followed by the perennial highlight for Tattoo visitors - the traditional march across the drawbridge of Edinburgh Castle by the Massed Pipes & Drums, which this year boasts the biggest pipe band ever to appear at the event.
Some 260 pipers and drummers representing thirteen different bands from home and overseas are expected to fill the esplanade with their stirring sights and sounds featuring rousing renditions of much-loved tunes such as Scots Wha Hae and Wi A Hundred Pipers.
Commented Brigadier Mel: "One thing I can say for certain is that nowhere in the world will anyone see a more spectacular Massed Pipes & Drums in terms of quality and quantity against the magnificent backdrop of Edinburgh Castle."
An energetic fusion of contemporary gospel and traditional African rhythm will then be provided by the 40-strong Watoto Children’s Choir from Kampala in Uganda, making their Tattoo debut.
Distinguished by their smartness of turnout as well as their standard of drill heralds the return of The Band and Pipes and Drums of The Royal Gurkha Regiment with an electrifying presentation of Accelerando.
A colourful and exciting display of traditional dance then showcases the skills of a combined 100-strong dance troupe drawn from our own Highland Spring Dancers together with a young group from South Africa embracing wonderful melodies from Skye born Celtic composer, Blair Douglas.
Musical entertainment from the southern hemisphere is then expected to enthral 217,000 Tattoo-goers as New Zealand’s internationally popular big brass band - The New Zealand Army Band - takes to the arena with its world-class instrumentalists, marching prowess and a few surprises.
One of the top educational establishments in China then follows with a compelling display of traditional martial arts as 60-young Chinese students from Jiangxi Xishan International School present skills not previously witnessed at the Edinburgh Tattoo.
Then, from the south-west of South America, come the first performers from the world’s fourth largest continent to participate at the Tattoo - the Concert Band of the Army of Chile together with the Evendart Artistic Company, featuring representatives from the Chilean National Ballet.
Said Brigadier Jameson: "This year I am delighted to present completely fresh acts from overseas who are both colourful, dynamic and I’m sure will be enjoyed by all ages."
Drawn from Atacama in the north to Patagonia in the south, this diverse group of popular musicians and dancers are expected to provide a fascinating exhibition of Chile’s distinctive cultural heritage.
Audience favourite, the (now not-so-secret) Top Secret Drum Corps from the Swiss city of Basel, make a welcome return to the Scottish Capital after their triumphant introduction to the Tattoo in 2003.
Fusing a compelling blend of contemporary and traditional percussion, this unique drum music act is once again set to take the Castle by storm.
A major attraction at the 2006 Tattoo will be the much-admired musical talent of the prestigious Coldstream and Scots Guards Bands - two of the five London-based Foot Guards Bands - who then demonstrate all that’s best about military music with a moving display, featuring Benny Goodman’s famous Sing Sing Sing from the 1930’s Swing Era.
This year’s show will pay tribute to the Scottish soldier. 370 years of Scotland’s soldiery sees the event celebrate the immense contribution Scottish regiments have made to the British Army. Over 5 centuries of history, from the raising of The Royal Scots in 1633 to dramatic moments from more recent times, will be colourfully portrayed.
A selection of historical vignettes along with state-of-the-art projection equipment will help tell this story while a musical appreciation is performed by the Bands of The Royal Regiment of Scotland, The Royal Brigade of Gurkhas, the New Zealand Army Band and the Army Band of Chile, who will join the Bands of The Coldstream Guards and Scots Guards – under the direction of Lt Col R J Owen, Senior Director of Music, Guards Division and 2006 Tattoo Director of Music – for the occasion. They will be accompanied by Edinburgh’s 40-strong Kevock Choir.
The Massed Pipes & Drums then gather alongside the Massed Military Bands as 600 musicians amass to create the renowned Tattoo sound featuring award-winning music from Disney’s worldwide phenomenon The Lion King, which will be set to pipes for the first time, and the acclaimed Highland Cathedral written by German composers, Michael Korb and Ulrich Roever.
This prodigious massed pipes & drums comprises The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, The Scots Guards, The Irish Guards, the new Royal Regiment of Scotland bands of The Royal Scots Borderers, The Royal Highland Fusiliers, The Black Watch, and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, along with the 1st and 2nd Battalions of The Royal Gurkha Rifles. They are complemented by the Queensland Police from Australia’s Sunshine State, South Africa’s Cape Town Highlanders in company with the Royal Air Force and Scotland’s Universities Officers’ Training Corps.
The grand finale, featuring the entire 1,000-strong cast and that international song of love and friendship Auld Lang Syne, brings the show to a climactic close as the Lone Piper, high on the Castle ramparts, plays the haunting lament, Highland Cradle Song.
Members of The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, 5th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland will parade each evening during the finale sequence to provide The Guard of Honour.
2006 sees the Duke of Edinburgh’s Awards Scheme celebrate its 50th anniversary, a golden event which will also be marked at this year's Tattoo.
"What's deeply satisfying for my small Tattoo team and I is the ever-increasing demand for tickets which this year sold out in little more than two months. We’re hugely proud of the economic impact this continues to have both locally and nationally," remarked Brigadier Mel.
Edinburgh Military Tattoo thanks Royal Bank of Scotland for its ongoing support. Sir Tom McKillop, Chairman of RBS, said: "The Edinburgh Military Tattoo is at the heart of the city's summer festivals, and yet again it looks set to draw audiences from around the globe. We are delighted to support such a prestigious Edinburgh event."
Some resale tickets for the 2006 Tattoo (4-26 August) may be available from the Tattoo Ticket Sales Office at 33-34 Market Street in Edinburgh, Tel: 08707 555 118.
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