Lockdown turned lockdown to an unlikely artistic collaboration: Mark-Anthony Turnage's new operatic adaptation of E Nesbit's beloved classic, The Railway Children.
The pandemic prompted a unique creative partnership between composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and his partner Rachael Hewer, who works as an assistant director at Glyndebourne Opera House. During their months-long lockdown, the duo found themselves with ample time to work on a new opera that they had long discussed but never managed to write.
The Railway Children was chosen for its timeless appeal and availability of copyright, which meant no permission was required from the original author or publishers. Turnage and Hewer approached this project as an opportunity to reinvigorate E Nesbit's classic children's story with modern updates.
Their collaboration involved a workshop-style process where they brought in a group of talented singers to work on scenes in secret. This allowed them to gauge the opera's potential and scope without alerting anyone outside their inner circle.
Once the pandemic eased, Turnage and Hewer sent the full-length opera to Glyndebourne's artistic director Stephen Langridge with an unusual marketing ploy - sending a printed copy of the complete work along with a fun-size Wispa bar to hint at its existence.
It was to their surprise that Langridge accepted the project, suggesting Turnage direct it himself, and subsequently announcing the production on Glyndebourne's website.
The story marks an extraordinary artistic collaboration in response to an unprecedented global crisis.
The pandemic prompted a unique creative partnership between composer Mark-Anthony Turnage and his partner Rachael Hewer, who works as an assistant director at Glyndebourne Opera House. During their months-long lockdown, the duo found themselves with ample time to work on a new opera that they had long discussed but never managed to write.
The Railway Children was chosen for its timeless appeal and availability of copyright, which meant no permission was required from the original author or publishers. Turnage and Hewer approached this project as an opportunity to reinvigorate E Nesbit's classic children's story with modern updates.
Their collaboration involved a workshop-style process where they brought in a group of talented singers to work on scenes in secret. This allowed them to gauge the opera's potential and scope without alerting anyone outside their inner circle.
Once the pandemic eased, Turnage and Hewer sent the full-length opera to Glyndebourne's artistic director Stephen Langridge with an unusual marketing ploy - sending a printed copy of the complete work along with a fun-size Wispa bar to hint at its existence.
It was to their surprise that Langridge accepted the project, suggesting Turnage direct it himself, and subsequently announcing the production on Glyndebourne's website.
The story marks an extraordinary artistic collaboration in response to an unprecedented global crisis.
Still can't believe how some people come up with this stuff... Lockdown turns into art project? I mean, if it works, kudos to them for making something out of nothing. The fact that they snuck around and didn't tell anyone outside their inner circle shows some serious dedication and trust in each other's work. Sending a bar of chocolate as a marketing ploy tho... 
Can you imagine getting that in the mail? Anyway, I guess it's cool to see how art can thrive even during tough times 
Can't they just stick to a normal, tried-and-true marketing strategy? 
can you believe lockdown actually led to something so amazing?! I mean, I was stuck at home with nothing to do but binge-watch shows and eat too much chocolate... who knew it could lead to a beautiful opera adaptation of The Railway Children? Mark-Anthony Turnage & Rachael Hewer are like the ultimate power couple of art 
. That Wispa bar trick is genius, btw 
'the railway children' opera is gonna be EPIC i can already imagine the scenes, the music, the drama 
cant wait for this!
gotta wonder what other creative ideas u guys would come up with during that lockdown 
. I love how they took E Nesbit's classic story and gave it a modern twist - it's gonna be so much fun to see! 
The fact that they worked in secret with a group of talented singers is pure genius 
. And can you believe they sent a printed copy of the opera along with a Wispa bar? Genius marketing, if you ask me 
for turnage & hewer, it was like gettin' free rent on their imagination 
. And that marketing ploy? Genius! 
Sending a printed copy with a fun-size Wispa bar was such a creative way to hint at its existence 
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just saw this and i'm like wth? a lockdown turning into a creative collab 
... like, who thought sending a printed copy of the complete work with a fun-size Wispa bar was a good idea? 
And what's with the secrecy, though? I mean, I get it, they wanted to keep it under wraps, but come on, it's an opera about three kids and their adventures on the train! 
? I mean, it's not every day you see artists using marketing ploys like that. It shows that they're willing to think outside the box and take some risks. And, in the end, it led to something really special happening - an artistic collaboration between Turnage and Hewer that resulted in The Railway Children opera! 
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