Between Worlds, Barbican Theatre ***

This is something that has been expected for a long time and now the time has come that the tragedy of 9/11 is being dealt with on stage in Tansy Davie's new opera. It takes the lives of 5 people in the North tower and follows them as this horror unfolds. It is fair to say that the reaction hasn't all been positive and many reviews have been luke warm but I have to say that my experience of this was far better than many critic's experience. The design from Michael Levine is beautiful in it's simplicity, with three floors capturing the grandure of the towers yet poignant and respectful. Warner's direction too helps create an emotional, heart- rendering account. Tansy Davies' music, whilst not the best, makes full use of the ENO's marvellous chorus that help to convey the mundanity of normal life in New York to a choral, mass- like feel towards the end of the opera. I feel that the shaman is somewhat irrelevant here and needed to have a larger role to give him a purpose. Also, the flying dancer needs to be vsible audience and used more often for the meaning he represents to become truly understood by the audience. Lastly, perhaps the magnitude of the atrocity that took place that fateful day and the everyday problems of the characters don't quite gel as they should which may be down to Drake's libretto that, whilst isn't half as bad as many have said, is relatively mundane as only so much can be conveyed operatically from messages from victims which are hardly poetic. Despite this, it still packs a punch and the spirituality of the final moments is truly special to experience.