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Hirda is a Shetland name for a serious mess.  A forbidden love triangle with two ghosts to crank up the tension, this dazzling new opera mixes Shetland fiddle tunes with the classical and a sextet of clear passionate voices. 

It was the hottest ticket in town. An limited audience of 100 convened for The End of the World (for one night only). The venue which I had mistakenly perceived as a single building turned out to be more of a small village. Summerhall was, from 1916 to 2011, the home of the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, known to locals as the Dick Vet.

We see so many images of war and fighting on the televisions in our living rooms daily that we can almost become acclimatised to shocking violence. Yet within living memory our main cities in Britain were a different world of fear, soldiers, bombs and destruction.