Al Jazeera News - AI takes the stage at Edinburgh Fringe Festival (broadcast 10.08.25)
"a composition that many musicians would be proud to call their own”
"turning the sacred idea of artistry on its head!”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKuQhjDMxYI
THE SCOTSMAN - AI on stage: The rise of AI characters at Edinburgh Fringe 2025 - Arts and Culture feature - (06.08.25)
"From digital landscapes to improvisational humanoid comedians, artists in Fringe 2025 are weaving AI into performance in wildly imaginative and emotionally rich ways - not to replace human expression, but to expand its boundaries. What happens when ChatGPT meets Chopin? AI Mozart is a genre-bending concert that features piano compositions generated entirely by artificial intelligence — from elegant classical waltzes to absurd mashups like “viking progressive death polka.” This show is part concert, part tech showcase, and part philosophical experiment in authorship.”
AI on stage: The rise of AI characters at Edinburgh Fringe 2025
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Edinburgh Guide
"Matthew Shiel has ‘composed’ a most enchanting concert, relating amusing, enlightening stories to introduce each piece; his eloquent performance expresses a dramatic, emotional mood from sad and sorrowful to light-hearted and lyrical, oozing a joyful sense of romantic love."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Binge Fringe Magazine
"The absolute highlight of the night was when Sim declaimed Burns’ epic poem “Tam o’ Shanter”: all about witches, demons, and a haunted, hectic horse ride. Sim would read several stanzas and then pause while Shiel punctuated the performance from selections from a “Tam o’ Shanter” musical arrangement, making for a ripping good yarn.
Sim and Shiel both are masters of their crafts. Sim declaimed the poetry beautifully, injecting the words with a rich Scottish accent fitting for the great Scottish wordsmith. Shiel is a gifted musician, showing especial regard for dynamics and musical structure. He lead the audience through the three-part Sonata form of the piano pieces with great clarity, showcasing the fascinating structure of the classical selections.
The atmosphere the performers curated was what really made Burns Night Hootennany! so special. The welcome at the door, the cakes, the candles, the group song at the end, all helped take the music and poetry off the stage and integrate it into a more living-room like environment, similar to how the art would have been performed back in its day."
REVIEW: Burns Night Hootenanny!, Candle Concerts, EdFringe 2024 ★★★★★ – Binge Fringe Magazine
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Corr Blimey
"profound…”
"Truly, Shiel and Sim can pride themselves on creating an atmosphere which is all too often missed in our digital world.”
“Moonlight can pride itself on designing an evening of authentic stories and skilful narration.”
Review: ‘A Burns Night Hootenanny – Tam O’ Shanter’- St Vincent’s Chapel, Edinburgh – Corr Blimey
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Three Weeks
"Musically, it was calm and resonant with an outstanding woodwind section; such soaring tones. Leader Raymond Cheuk Ting Hon was an outstanding violin soloist, interpreting Massenet’s ‘Meditation from Thais’ touchingly, and Artistic Director Matthew Shiel shone in Mozart’s ‘Adagio from Piano Concerto number 23 in A major’. Punctuated by Eastern bells and smells to continue the mood between items this was indeed a meditative evening."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Edinburgh Guide
"Matthew Shiel has once again curated a truly enlightening selection of music sharing a languid, lyrical style and emotional mood, each piece complemented by Emma’s illuminated painterly patterns for moments of quiet meditation. The audience was indeed 'spirited away' in a meditative, theatrical ambience of calm reflective light, art, poetry and music.”
MUST SEE SHOWS! - Jewish Renaissance
"Award-winning pianist and conductor Matthew Shiel leads his jazz band in a performance lit only by candles. Join them on a musical journey from Berlin cabaret by Jewish composer Erwin Schulhoff, to classic ragtime by Texan pianist Scott Joplin and, of course, the orchestral jazz of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue”
https://www.jewishrenaissance.org.uk/blog/ed-fringe-round-up-2025
James Gordon (audience reviewer - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2024)
"A young pianist is fighting his way through Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's 5th Symphony. Never mind the emotional or philosophical meaning of the music; it is all he can do to play the right notes in the right order, at something approximating to the right speed. Beethoven's ghost is not amused. He must give the lad a masterclass..
Such is the premise of this show, more a concert with dramatised dialogue than a play with music. The title is slightly misleading. The format is closer to radio programmes like "Desert Island Discs" or "Private Passions", especially the latter, for with one exception Matthew Shiel plays complete short pieces, or whole movements of longer ones, well conveying his character's growing intuitive understanding as he discovers the tortured and chaotic circumstances that gave rise to this music.
Naturally, the music takes centre stage, but whenever the piano is silent Alastair Sim's Beethoven dominates, complete with stained attire and wild hair. The coup de theatre of his first appearance profits from opportunities offered by the venue and will not be soon forgotten.”
Maestro, This is Your Life! | Theatre | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Audience Review - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025
"It's amazing what AI can do today! Be amazed and try to hear the difference! The show is definitely worth a visit! The music is still presented and played by a real human! What an inspiration to hear both "human and machine" interacting!”
AI Mozart: ChatGPT Composed This Concert | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Audience Review - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025
"Beautiful, pensive music, a wonderful retreat from the high-energy Fringe”
Einaudi’s Piano by Candlelight – Spirited Away | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Audience Review - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025
"I've always wanted to hear the Moonlight Sonata played live, and this did not disappoint! Some absolutely tremendous piano playing in a wonderful atmosphere”
Moonlight Sonata by Candlelight | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
Audience Review - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2025
"An explosion of rhythm, sound—and dexterity! Three people, one piano, and the sound of an entire orchestra! Let yourself be enchanted by familiar melodies, simply dream, or admire these three artists who definitely know exactly how thirty fingers can work together! Definitely worth a visit!”
Cirque du Piano – 1 Piano, 3 Pianists, 6 Hands, 30 Fingers! | Edinburgh Festival Fringe
