The Shadows
The Shadows was originally composed in 2006 for a percussion ensemble containing six percussionists. It was premiered at the Academy of Stage & Music in Gothenburg, but it was a major disappointment in several points of view. In 2011, I therefore decided to revise it and arrange it for two pianos.
Two visual inspirational parts
![boltanski_t_+ombres](https://www.stefanthorsson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/boltanski_t_-ombres-1024x458.jpg)
![The_Shadows_2011_midi1](https://www.stefanthorsson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/The_Shadows_2011_midi1-1024x848.jpg)
Theatrical compositions
Tiny marionette-like figures; from cardboard, scraps of materials, thread and cork, and painted in colour, hung in the centre of the space, suspended from a wire structure and lit gently at floor level. The images were projected on to the surrounding walls, where they appeared as surreal and macabre shadows; kinetic installations in which a strong light focused on figurative shapes helped create a mysterious environment of silhouettes in movement.
![shadows](https://www.stefanthorsson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/shadows.jpg)
Concerning percussionists
![The_Shadows_2011_midi2](https://www.stefanthorsson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/The_Shadows_2011_midi2-1024x894.jpg)
Thinking of different types of craftsmen through our history.
It could be a blacksmith in a dark forge or a miner in a dusky mine.
Swinging their tools.
Always with a strong source of light, creating macabre shadows along the walls.
Or scientists in laboratories.
By themselves or in a group.
Working for the results and the future.
Shuffle and hand out.
Precise movements without shaking their hands.
Suspended marionettes and their individual movements.
Very often alike but never the same.
![The_Shadows_2011_midi3](https://www.stefanthorsson.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/The_Shadows_2011_midi3-1024x844.jpg)
Technical rider
Spotlights on the floor, surrounding the musicians, creating shadows on the wall.
Music stand lighting. No further lighting.
Duration
17 min.