New World theme for festival

Festival director Jonathan Mills said this summer's three-week spectacle would explore the "intriguing and complex" societies of Australasia and North, Central and South America.

The arts extravaganza, which runs from August 13 to September 5, will feature four world premieres and four European premieres.

The opera Bliss – based on the novel by Peter Carey and featuring music by Australia's Brett Dean – will be one of the shows having its first European outing in Edinburgh after being premiered to great acclaim last week in Sydney.