shadow catcher for double chorus a cappella and rapper is based on a text by Singaporean playwright Elangovan after the following sufi saying by Haidar Ansari: “a voice told me last night: there is no such thing as a voice whispering in the night”. Casteels wanted to challenge the image of choir being a girlish activity by introducing a rapper. Shadow Catcher is challenging for the conductor, because he must synchronise two choirs whilst following the rapid verbal flow of the rapper. The rapper stands in the middle of the stage with each choir positioned on his left and right side. Each choir is divided into 20 different voices. Singers use body percussion, which means that sound is made by using parts of the human body, in this case finger snap, hand clap and stomp. At the very end, all singers raise dramatically their arms and point to the audience, as they sing the last words “a voice whispers to you!”Casteels conducted the premiere in 2004 in Singapore’s Esplanade Concert Hall with rapper Sheik Haikel.

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Casteels is one of those composers whose music makes an immediate impact on the audience. The idea of following tradition, rules and stylistic imperatives is completely foreign to a body of music which really mixes it up. We find such unlikely bedfellows as double chorus and rapper in Shadow Catcher.
Lee Shin-Kang, Singapore