Classical Music

Opera isn't the glam fixture it used to be at the Festival, but Claudio Abbado conducting Daniele Abbado's production of 'Die Zauberflöte' (Festival Theatre Aug 31, Sept 1) should be worth catching – especially since, despite the year's anniversary, we certainly don't get a surfeit of Amadeus; and as for Shostakovich… er, who? Is this Edinburgh's fastidious policy, wanting to be different from everyone else? Anyway, there's Tchaikovsky's heart-rending 'Mazeppa' in Peter Stein's production for Opéra de Lyon (Aug 22, 24). Duty prompts a mention of the world premiere of 'The Assassin Tree' by Scots composer Stuart MacRae. Rapture is modified by the prospect of a mythical-allegorical-fey libretto by nerdish poet Simon Armitage (Aug 25-27, Royal Lyceum). Feature continues

As so often recently, concerts and recitals provide Edinburgh's treasure. The ecstatically praised Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester is back (Aug 20) and Rattle and his Berliners warm up for their BBC Proms down south with Szymanowski and Mahler (Aug 31). St Luke's from NY (Aug 16), the Budapest Festival Orchestra (Aug 23), and bands from Minnesota (with Vänskä), Finland (Oramo) and Rotterdam (Metzmacher) show off their first-rate talents in the Usher Hall's caressing acoustics – rubbing in the lesson that London still doesn't have a world-class concert hall. And the happily ubiquitous Sir Charles Mackerras conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in an early-evening cycle of all Beethoven's nine (Usher Hall, 5.30pm, from Aug 15).

The Queen's Hall opens its morning recital series with Steven Osborne, the star Scots pianist (Aug 14, 11am). Soprano Soile Isokowski ranges from Mozart to Britten via Schoenberg and Sibelius (Aug 16). Simon Keenlyside (Aug 28), cellist Peter Wispelwey in his special Bach-Britten coupling (Sept 1) and the Belceas (Sept 2) light up the northern sky.