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We Are Shadows, Spitalfields Music | reviews, news & interviews

We Are Shadows, Spitalfields Music

We Are Shadows, Spitalfields Music

The 2011 Summer Festival ends with an operatic community celebration

Rattus Rattus (Adam Green) and his cohort of exuberant rat-minionsJez C Self

Spitalfields Summer Music Festival is now finished for another year, but bid farewell to its audiences in fitting style with We Are Shadows – a new community opera devised by composer John Barber and librettist Hazel Gould. Bringing together over 200 local participants, whether as singers and performers or working behind the scenes to usher this two-year project to fruition, it’s a show that celebrates not only the talents of the Spitalfields community, but also that most universal of London icons: the rat.

Spitalfields Summer Music Festival is now finished for another year, but bid farewell to its audiences in fitting style with We Are Shadows – a new community opera devised by composer John Barber and librettist Hazel Gould. Bringing together over 200 local participants, whether as singers and performers or working behind the scenes to usher this two-year project to fruition, it’s a show that celebrates not only the talents of the Spitalfields community, but also that most universal of London icons: the rat.

An acrobatic semi-chorus of rats offering all the personality and energy you could hope for

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Comments

I really enjoyed your intelligent review, not least as one of the bravely tuneful men of chorus. But I felt I had to add something. It's easily done, of course, as we now know from the opera, but haven't you overlooked the shadow?! He was such a big, silent part of the show, and brought brilliantly "alive" by Krystian G. Just my opinion...

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