Five Telegrams: Exploring The First World War Through Music

Correspondents from the First World War have inspired the spectacular opening event of the Edinburgh International Festival.

Around 15,000 people gathered to watch 'Five Telegrams', a musical performance inspired by communications from soldiers on the frontline of the First World War.

As well as kicking off this year’s Edinburgh International Festival, the event also marked the centenary year of the end of the conflict.

Composer Anna Meredith spoke about the inspiration behind the pieces:

“This piece isn’t about the tale of one soldier, it’s about the mechanisms behind what wartime communications don’t say.”

“We’ve come up with five different movements, and each are about a different type of communication that was used in the war.

“I’ve been really touched by the response from people that have heard the music - some of it feels quite emotional, some is deliberately at arm’s length, some of it is very personal.

“The final movement is called 'Armistice', and it was not a triumphant ending with bells ringing - it was a messy, confusing limping over a line”.

Fergus Linehan, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, spoke of the performance’s fitting nature given that the festival coincides with the anniversary of the armistice:

“It’s very fitting, and it’s something that artists are very interested in.

“Armistice was such a seismic moment; there are so many incredible stories.

“'Five Telegrams' is about the nature of correspondence in all its forms: what people were allowed to send back from the front, but also things like Morse code and censorship.

“It’s about the whole nature of communication when there’s conflict going on.

“Beneath the conflict, there are all of these incredible human stories”.