Heiner Goebbels has a genius for creating truly theatrical musical events. This recording was made under studio conditions and featured members of the internationally acclaimed Ensemble Modern, with whom he developed Black on White. They are both the players and performers in the highly original piece, a tribute to the playwright and director Heiner Müller, who died in 1995. At its heart is a recording of Müller reading Poe’s ‘parable of death’, Shadow. Around this, Goebbels creates a striking web of interlocking musical episodes.