MAY 17-JUNE 3: WITH so many minds currently focussed on global matters, it is either divine inspiration or sheer marketing insight that sees Bath International Music Festival almost at every line of their programme for this year putting total emphasis on that word 'international'.

And yet, beneath the glittering chandeliers of the Bath Spa Hotel, there was a surreal element as festival chairman, Jonathan Dimbleby, and director, Tim Joss emphasised that the underlining of the word international could hardly be more pertinent in a world rocked by September 11 and fears of globalisation and awareness of the world's poverty gap.

From May 17, when 25,000 are expected at what has become Bath's biggest free party in Royal Victoria Park, to the finale on June 3, artists in every avenue of the arts will descend on the city from 30 countries: Canada to Cuba, Scotland to Syria.

Its internationalism is universally recognised, with UNESCO providing funding, a first in the 54-year festival history. There is also £12,000 from the Spanish Embassy: a welcome impetus at a time when money for the arts is tighter.

The festival has three major international residencies; musicians from Rajasthan and Mali will create the world premiere of a collaboration called Desert Music, the great Spanish viol player, Jordi Savall will make a rare visit to the UK to appear both with his instrumental group Hesperion XXI and choir Capella Reial de Cataynya and Imogen Cooper will work with musicians from around Europe to contrast the music of Janacek and Schubert.

There are three feature weekends: World music, European contemporary jazz and contemporary music. And, surely a remarkable political coup, the Palestinian singer Amul Murkus appearing with her group of Israeli musicians.

The contemporary music weekend draws the festival to a close. It visits the Mediterranean with the visionary music of Messaien and world premieres by James Dillon, David Sawyer and the UK premiere of From Aleppo to Seville, a semi-staged journey around the Med through the music of six centuries conceived by Sonia Wieder-Atherton.

The 'traditional' element does not take a back seat. Such names as Piotr Anderszewski, the Borodin Quartet, Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Evelyn Glennie, Steven Isserlis, Tasmin Little, Dame Felicity Lott and The Sixteen will add the sparkle and quality that I, for one, found somewhat lacking last year.

Reg Burnard