Herald Scotland | 07/12/2015

Keith Bruce

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★ ★ ★ ★

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“Tilts at contemporary Scottish opera are not exactly uncommon, but this NOISE company commission from a composing team of Chris Stout and Gareth Williams with a libretto by Sian Evans sets and meets its own high standards.”

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“Stout and Williams have combined their talents in a style that sets a benchmark for traditional and classical collaboration.”

Bachtrack | 05/12/2015

David Smythe

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★ ★ ★ ★

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“There is a strange magic to Hirda, a beguiling adventure across classical and folk boundaries. The haunting blend of the voices and the music is still ringing in my head.”​

The Guardian | 29/11/2015

Kate Molleson

 

★ ★ ★ ★​

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“Glasgow company NOISE aim to create nimble opera for new audiences. Hirda was as accessible as it was intended to be.”​

The Shetland Times | 27/11/2015

Alex Garrick-Wright

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"Hirda is a warm, affectionate and delightful ode to Shetland that enraptured the audience, nearly brought the house down from the immense and sustained applause, and deserves a place in the cultural pantheon of the isles.”

The Scotsman | 05/12/2015

David Kettle

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★ ★ ★ ★

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“this brand new opera feels like it’s got true Shetland blood pulsing fiercely through its veins”

“soaring, heartstring-pulling music, enormously powerful in conveying the opera’s intense emotions.”

Opera Magazine | 2015

Andrew Clark

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“unites Scottish folk music and Shetland dialect with the classical forces of chamber opera, making for a potent brew.”

 

“Hirda deserves to go places.”