The Railway Children becomes a pacy action thriller in Turnage's hands at Glyndebourne

Jessica Cale (Bobbie), Henna Mun (Phyllis) & Matthew McKinney (Peter)
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Richard Hubert Smith

Tim Anderson (Conductor)

Stephen Langridge (Director)

Nicky Shaw (Designer)

Mark Jonathan (Lighting Designer)

Max White (Video Designer)

Lydia Coomes (Sound Designer)

The Glyndebourne Sinfonia

Richard Milone (Leader)

The Glyndebourne Chorus

Aidan Oliver (Chorus Director)

Gavan Ring (Mr Perks) & Chorus
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Richard Hubert Smith

Edward Hawkins (David, Mr Tarpolski)

Rachael Lloyd (Cathy)

Simon Mascarenhas Carter (Police Officer, Chorus)

John Mackenzie-Lavansch (Detective Sergeant, Train Driver, Chorus)

Rhiain Taylor (Police Radio, Chorus)

Bethany Horak-Hallett (Yolanda)

Jessica Cale (Bobbie)

Matthew McKinney (Peter)

Henna Mun (Phyllis)

Michael Wallace (Police Constable, Chorus)

Gavan Ring (Mr Perks)

James Cleverton (Sir Tommy Crawshaw)

Natalia Brzenzińska (Chorus)

Dominic Morgan (Chorus)

Jacquelyn Parker (Chorus)

Rachel Taylor (Chorus)

4pm, Thursday 30 October, 2025

Glyndebourne Opera House, Glyndebourne 

★★★★

Turnage, Mark-Anthony (b.1960): The Railway Children

(Libretto by Hewer, Rachael)

Jessica Cale (Bobbie) & Ensemble
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Richard Hubert Smith

'Hewer’s libretto is direct and clear, with switches between narration and dialogue moving the action along with pace. Turnage’s score is tight and equally pacy, with strong use of chamber forces, from single strings to woodwinds and dashes of percussion, the overall style of tense action thriller occasionally giving way to more tender lyricism, all conducted with energetic precision by Tim Anderson'.

'Nicky Shaw’s design is slick and suits the action well, with camera shutter switches between scenes and stylish colour palettes, and Mark Jonathan’s lighting adds further sharpness of focus'.

'Singing from all was faultless, with clear communication, strong depiction of characters and evenness of strength and projection. Jessica Cale was exceptional as the eldest child, Bobbie, ... her bright soprano ... increasing in strength of conviction'.

The Railway Children - full cast
© Glyndebourne Productions Ltd/Richard Hubert Smith

'Matthew McKinney was convincing as Peter, ... carrying Turnage’s angular lines well, and Henna Mun was endearingly sweet as Phyllis'.

'A few confusing elements in the updating of characters and a lack of a convincing train notwithstanding, this is an effective take bringing something fresh to an old favourite, and Turnage’s score is full of action and interest throughout'. 

Read my full review on Backtrack here. 

Mark-Anthony Turnage, Rachael Hewer, cast & artistic team
© Nick Boston

Strong cast lifts Wake-Walker's constrained staging in Glyndebourne Tour's Fidelio

Gertrude Thoma (Estella)
© Richard Hubert Smith

Glyndebourne Tour 2021

Ben Glassberg (conductor)

Frederic Wake-Walker (director)

Anna Jones (designer)

Peter Mumford (lighting designer)

Adam Young, FRAY Studio (projection designer)

Glyndebourne Chorus

Glyndebourne Tour Orchestra

Callum Thorpe (Rocco), Adam Smith (Florestan),
Dorothea Herbert (Leonore)
 & Dingle Yandell (Don Pizarro)
© Richard Hubert Smith

Gertrude Thoma (Estella)

Gavan Ring (Jaquino)

Carrie-Ann Williams (Marzelline)

Callum Thorpe (Rocco)

Dorothea Herbert (Leonore)

Dingle Yandell (Don Pizarro)

Robert Lewis (First Prisoner)

Tom Mole (Second Prisoner)

Adam Smith (Florestan)

Jonathan Lemalu (Don Fernando)

Saturday 16 October 2021

Glyndebourne, East Sussex

★★★

Dorothea Herbert (Leonore) & the Glyndebourne Chorus
© Richard Hubert Smith

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Fidelio

(libretto by Joseph von Sonnleithner, revised by Stephan von Breuning and Georg Friedrich Treitschke)

(new spoken text in this production conceived by Frederic Wake-Walker, written in collaboration with Peter Cant and Gertrude Thoma. Leonore's poem written by Zoë Palmer)

Adam Smith (Florestan)
© Richard Hubert Smith

'Beethoven’s canonic quartet is surely one of the highlights of Act 1, and it certainly did not disappoint here musically, with well-balanced and blended singing from all four singers'. 

'Leonore and Florestan ... finally get the opportunity to engage in Act 2, and Dorothea Herbert and Adam Smith make the most of this, with the most moving singing of the show'.

'Smith’s opening piano high G was incredibly controlled, yet he was not afraid to use the strain of projecting Beethoven’s high tessitura above the orchestra to great effect'.

'Ben Glassberg and the orchestra’s attention to detail was strong, and they avoided the very real possibility in Beethoven’s scoring of drowning out the singers'.

'Wake-Walker’s staging, without the dialogue, leads to a lot of static, ‘stand and deliver’ singing from the key characters, relying on the video projections onto the outside of the cage for interest'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.