Scottish Ballet
Scotland’s revitalised national ballet company makes a festival return: the quadruple bill includes a Balanchine/Stravinsky modern classic, Agon; Jerome Robbins’s Afternoon of a Faun; Hans van Manen’s Two Pieces for HET; and a full-company work, In Light and Shadow, to Bach, by Krzysztof Pastor.
Edinburgh Playhouse, today (4pm)
H2
Grupo de Rua de Niteroi, here for the first time from Brazil, give a spectacular work, with interaction between the dancers and huge video images, by the choreographer Bruno Beltrao, whose contemporary dance style is developed from hip-hop and street dance.
Edinburgh Playhouse, Tue, Wed
Art
Frank Whitford
Devil in the Detail
Small but exquisite paintings by Adam Elsheimer (1578-1610), a German artist working in Rome, from where he influenced Rubens, Rembrandt and Claude with his landscapes, interiors and narratives.
RSA Building, until Sept 3
Ron Mueck
Breathtakingly realistic, these sculptures of figures and disembodied heads are deeply disquieting.
RSA Building, until Oct 1
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Robert Mapplethorpe
This big show of works by the flagrantly homosexual photographer had me recoiling at the sheer monochrome beauty.
Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, until Nov 5
Van Gogh and Britain: Pioneer Collectors
Works from every stage of the artist’s tragically brief career.
Dean Gallery, until Sept 24
Pop
Dan Cairns
Muse
The Devonians play their biggest Scottish show to date. One of the best live bands in Britain, Muse are on a roll, with a superb new album, Black Holes & Revelations, and a sellout autumn tour in the offing.
Meadowbank Stadium, Thu
Music
Hugh Canning
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Gustav Mahler Youth Orchestra
The American mezzo Susan Graham makes a rare concert appearance with the orchestral version of Berg’s Seven Early Songs. Webern’s Six Orchestral Pieces, Op 6, and Mahler’s Fifth Symphony make up the rest of this programme conducted by the young Swiss maestro Philippe Jordan.
Usher Hall, today
Manfred
Ilan Volkov and the BBC Scottish SO present an all-Schumann programme, concluding with a rare account of the complete music inspired by Byron’s Manfred. The overture to Genoveva and Konzertstück, for four horns, complete the programme.
Usher Hall, Mon
Jonas Kaufmann
The dashing young German tenor is one of today’s finest lieder singers. With his regular pianist, Helmut Deutsch, he gives a recital of songs by Liszt, Richard Strauss and Bartok.
Queen’s Hall, Thu
Theatre
Adrian Turpin
Black Watch
Gregory Burke’s taken-from-life drama about Scottish soldiers serving in Iraq is funny, moving and directed with dazzling flair by John Tiffany. A triumph for the National Theatre of Scotland.
Traverse 4, until Aug 27 (except Mon)
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Improbable Frequency
If Jasper Fforde and Tom Stoppard had written a musical together, it might look something like this witty romp about English spies, mad physicists and Nazis in Dublin, 1941.
Traverse 1, until Aug 27 (except Mon)
Talk Radio
Eric Bogosian’s play about a burnt-out radio host has lost some of its satirical edge over the years, but boasts an exceptional performance from Phil Nichol.
E4 Udderbelly, until Aug 28
Comedy
Stephen Armstrong
Laura Solon
Last year’s Perrier victor returns for a one-off performance of her winning show — Kopfrapers Syndrome: One Man and His Incredible Mind. Sketch comedy that smacks all other sketch shows in the mouth and calls them a pussy.
Pleasance, Sat
Rain Pryor
Richard Pryor’s daughter presents a one-off tribute to her dad in a benefit gig for multiple-sclerosis charities. Her versions of his live riffs are spookily accurate. Fans of the master should book early.
Gilded Balloon, Fri
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Dirty Book Club
Robin Ince’s superb reinvention of the staid stand-up bill has been trammelled by its afternoon slot all festival. This late-night performance means the comics are sure that there aren’t any kids in the crowd, so they can let loose on the erotica.
Underbelly, today and Wed