From Tchaikovsky to Tan Dun, our 2022 classical music programme is packed with music from fascinating composers. If you think you know your Mendehlsson from your Mahler, put your knowledge to the test by taking on our trivia quiz! Once you've completed the questions, scroll to the bottom of the page to see how you did.

Questions

1. The Chineke! Chamber Ensemble & William Barton perform Mendelssohn Piano Sextet at The Queen’s Hall this summer. How old was Mendelssohn when he wrote this piece?

a. 12
b. 15
c. 18

2. Which singer-songwriter has composed two full-length operas? (Hint: Anne Sofie von Otter is performing their songs this August!)

a. Cyndi Lauper
b. Rufus Wainwright
c. Laura Marling

3. The Royal Scottish National Orchestra is playing Dukas’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Who wrote the poem the work was originally based on?

a. Goethe
b. Schlegel
c. Schiller

4. The RSNO perform Mahler's Third Symphony at the Usher Hall in August. Fill in the blank in this quote from Mahler: ‘a symphony must be like ____ – it must embrace everything!'

a. A child
b. Philosophy
c. The world

5. The Philadelphia Orchestra is shining a light on the long overlooked composer Florence Price in one of their concerts this August. In 2009, 56 years after her death, works by Price that were thought to be lost resurfaced. Where were they discovered?

a. An abandoned house in Illinois
b. A suitcase left on a train
c. Hidden in a piano

6. Pierre Laurent-Aimard performs four pieces from Années de pèlerinage at Usher Hall this Festival. Which countries were the first two suites named for?

a. New Zealand and Australia
b. Italy and Switzerland
c. France and Ireland

7. The BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Edinburgh Festival Chorus, NYCOS National Girls Choir and three international soloists come together to perform Carl Orff’s iconic Carmina Burana in our Opening Concert. Which brand of beer used 'O Fortuna' from the piece in their television advertising campaign?

a. Heineken
b. Estrella
c. Strongbow

8. Malcolm Martineau and Steven Osborne perform the Ma mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) suite at The Queen's Hall on Saturday 13 August. Which of the following fairy tales inspired Maurice Ravel’s duet?

a. Sleeping Beauty and Tom Thumb
b. Beauty and the Beast and The Green Serpent
c. All of the above

9. Wayne Marshall joins the Scottish Chamber Orchestra to perform music from Porgy and Bess at Usher Hall. DuBose Heyward, who co-wrote the libretto for Porgy and Bess with Ira Gershwin, was working as what whilst he was writing the original novel?

a. Insurance salesman
b. High school teacher
c. Bus driver

10. The BBC Singers are performing one of Cecilie Ore’s choral compositions at The Queen's Hall. Which famous lines from Shakespeare has Ore used as the lyrics?

a. "Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?" (Sonnet 18)
b. "Double, double toil and trouble" (Macbeth)
c. "To be or not to be; that is the question" (Hamlet)

11. Natalya Romaniw, the Philharmonia Orchestra, Douglas Boyd and Garsington Opera bring the story of Rusalka to life at Festival Theatre this August. Which fairy tale inspired Dvorak’s Rusalka?

a. Little Red Riding Hood
b. Cinderella
c. The Little Mermaid

Scroll down to find the answers!

Answers

1. b) 15
2. b) Rufus Wainwright
3. a) Goethe
4. c) The world
5. a) An abandoned house in Illinois
6. b) Italy and Switzerland
7. c) Strongbow
8. c) All of the above
9. a) Insurance salesman
10. b) "Double double toil and trouble" (Macbeth)
11. c) The Little Mermaid

How did you do? Share with us on Twitter and Instagram at @edintfest or using the hashtag #edintfest.

Explore our full classical music programme via our What's On page, or delve further into individual performances through the videos below!