Director Stephen Langridge and conductor Tim Anderson have both received glowing reviews for the world premiere of Mark-Anthony Turnage’s new opera The Railway Children, based on the beloved novel by E Nesbit. The production received three public performances at Glyndebourne as well as additional dedicated performances for young audiences, and a staged concert version at London’s Southbank Centre in the Queen Elizabeth Hall.
The Times, Richard Morrison:
"if you want to see an opera with the twists and turns of a spy thriller and an orchestral score which, at its climaxes, has a white-knuckle momentum and abrasive power, you will enjoy Stephen Langridge’s staging, expertly conducted by Tim Anderson."
The Financial Times, Richard Fairman:
"conductor Tim Anderson keeps the score bubbling along"
"Stephen Langridge’s production skilfully juggles many different scenes and the train crash is not a disappointment"
The Telegraph, Nicholas Kenyon:
"The small ensemble is always well driven by conductor Tim Anderson"
"the three children, Jessica Cale as Bobbie, Matthew McKinney as Peter and Henna Mun as Phyllis are splendidly characterised in Stephen Langridge’s skilful production"
The Guardian, Clive Paget:
"Turnage’s energetic score, handsomely realised by conductor Tim Anderson and the Glyndebourne Sinfonia, bristles with motoric effects"
"it possesses a fast-paced John le Carré meets the Famous Five vibe, nicely mirrored by Stephen Langridge’s lithe-limbed production."
Bachtrack, Nick Boston:
"all conducted with energetic precision by Tim Anderson. Stephen Langridge’s direction keeps things moving well, with minimal unnecessary stage-pacing and clear characterisation from all."
London Unattached, Adrian York:
"Director Stephen Langridge, Glyndebourne’s artistic director, and designer Nicky Shaw have made good use of the opera house’s 69-bar automated flying system to create a series of inventive sets that appear in boxes on or above the stage. It allows for filmic jump cuts, which add to the headlong momentum of the piece."
"Tim Anderson, conducting The Glyndebourne Sinfonia and Glyndebourne Chorus, brought a tremendous sense of impetus to the score, creating moments of high drama, emotion and comic sentimentality."
Opera Today, David Truslove:
the train evocations are vividly produced by the Glyndebourne Sinfonia under the energising baton of Tim Anderson.
The Arts Review, Boyd Tonkin:
"Tim Anderson conducts the 16-strong Glyndebourne Sinfonia with a crisp alertness to the dabs of vibrant instrumental colour – celeste, harp, trombone, oboe – that Turnage spots around and between the vocal lines."
"Langridge and Shaw, along with lighting and video designers Mark Jonathan and Max White, work hard and well to ensure that the staging delivers a full complement of gasp-worthy coups without ever overshadowing the characters and narrative. Scenes performed on different levels combine with backlit frames, square or rectangular, that expand and contract: they mimic not just the cinematic lens but the view from an observing agent’s camera. It’s an ingeniously sustained look that fits the presiding motif of surveillance, paranoia and espionage."
