WHAT a difference a cluster of vaccines makes. One year ago, arts lovers were reeling from the announcements (made on April 1, 2020) that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe programmes would not go ahead for the first time in their 73-year histories. The week just gone brought happier news. On Tuesday, EIF director Fergus Linehan announced that his Festival’s prestigious programme would, government guidance allowing, go ahead this coming August. The 2021 EIF will, Linehan says, be “reimagined”; which is to say that it will be presented outdoors in what are described as “bespoke, temporary outdoor pavilions”. The programme, which will, it seems, be slanted towards music, will occur in three venues, including the Old College Quad at Edinburgh University and Edinburgh Park. For those unable to get to Edinburgh, due either to coronavirus restrictions or health concerns, the Festival will be