Edinburgh tattoo revs up

By Ian MacKenzie

EDINBURGH (Reuters) - The Russian military, Caribbean steel and the wail of bagpipes from Oman will spice up the martial music at Edinburgh's annual military tattoo as it gears up to thrill thousands on the castle esplanade this month.

The tattoo, the quickest-selling extravaganza at the Edinburgh International Festival, in itself the biggest annual event of its kind in the world, brings together around 1,000 musicians and entertainers from far-flung countries from August 3 to 25.

With the security concerns still high, tattoo officials and police laid out plans to protect the 8,600 spectators who cram the open-air bleachers on the castle esplanade for the nightly performances.

"The aim is to provide maximum security with minimal fuss," said Major-General Euan Loudon, the new director of the tattoo.

Making their debuts this year will be musicians of the Moscow Military Conservatoire, and the Taipei First Girls High School Honour Guard and Drum Corps providing a dazzling display of music, movement and precision drill.

Loudon said the tattoo would pay tribute to the diamond wedding anniversary of the Queen to Prince Philip, and celebrate the 150th anniversary of Kneller Hall, the Royal Military School of Music at Twickenham on London's outskirts.

The tattoo will open with a specially-commissioned fanfare by Major Bob Meldrum, director of music for the Royal Artillery, followed by the massed pipes and drums emerging across the castle drawbridge with time honoured tunes such as The Skye Boat Song and Mhairie's Wedding.

The musicians are drawn from military units, accompanied by the pipes and drums of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, the Auckland Police from New Zealand, the Royal Caledonian Society of South Australia and the Royal Army of Oman.