Ghost Opera (1997)

"Ghost Opera (1994) grew from an ancient tradition, where being rewarded after death is taken as read and everyone enters into dialogue with time. The libretto merges Shakespeare (We are such stuff as dreams are made on...), folk-song and the singing of monks, but Duns real mastery lies in the way he juxtaposes his ideas, delicately, dramatically, and alternating tactile sounds with the glow of Bach or the simplicity of folk-song. Some of the string writing echoes Chinese popular music (both in its compositional style and the way it is realized by Kronos), but it would be difficult to separate any one component of what is in effect a compact montage-cum-music-drama. It certainly says much for Kronos that they enter the spirit so convincingly (their vocal exclamations sound decidedly local), and the excellent recording does their efforts full justice. Not one for every day of the week, perhaps, but an elevated form of fusion that reaffirms the creative good sense of merging East with West." (Gramophone)