It is one of the most moving moments in film. Rachmaninoff's Concerto for Piano 2 played as the couple in the 1945 movie, Brief Encounter, realise their love is doomed while gazing into each others eyes at a railway station. The station was Carnforth and the actors, Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson.
Wagner hated trains and Mendelssohn said a trip on a locomotive was "agony on the nerves." But Dvorak was a trainspotter and Benjamin Britten wrote the music to a famous and cherished documentary "The Night Mail" capturing a train delivering post across the country.
The Age of Steam which was the setting for Brief Encounter, and inspired and upset some composers is long over. But rail operator Northern thinks this historical musical link might be a clever way of tackling anti-social behaviour on train platforms and stations - playing classical music.
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Northern is set to pipe classical music inspired by Handel, Beethoven, Mozart and Tchaikovsky into 23 stations across its network as part of measures to deter anti-social behaviour.
The plan follows a pilot scheme conducted at nine stations across the North of England in the past twelve months (Billingham, Shildon, Heighington, North Road, Orrell, Keighley, Hyde North, Ilkley and Newton Aycliffe) which saw a significant reduction in the number of loitering, graffiti and vandalism-related incidents during the trial.
Music will only be played at certain times of the day, which will vary from station to station to have the best impact on behaviour.
Mark Powles, customer and commercial director, at Northern, said: “Anti-social behaviour is a nuisance in its lightest form and nothing short of a criminal act at its worst. Unfortunately, railway stations - like many other public areas - can attract this sort of mindless behaviour – which is unfair and unsettling to our customers.
“The classical music trials proved very interesting – and the results speak for themselves. We’ll now begin work on a roll-out programme across 23 targeted stations to spread that success far and wide.”
The 23 stations are: Beverley, Birchwood, Brinnington, Bryn, Cottingham, Cross Gates, Fitzwilliam, Flimby, Halewood, Haltwhistle, Hattersley, Levenshulme, Lostock Gralam, Maryport, Mill Hill, Newton for Hyde, Penistone, Rainhill, Sowerby Bridge, Sunderland, Ulverston, Wetheral and Whiston.
Anyone can report anti-social behaviour on the rail network by contacting British Transport Police via text message on 61016 or by calling 0800 40 50 40.
On Sunday 21 May, Northern’s new summer timetable comes into effect and all customers, especially those who have made regular journeys on the same train times, are advised to check before they travel. For more information, visit: www.northernrailway.co.uk/timetablechange
Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England.
In 1936, Benjamin Britten and the poet WH Auden were commissioned to provide music and text for the GPO documentary Night Mail. The film shows the transport of mail by train from London, through the English shires and the industrial north, to early morning in rural Scotland and finally to Glasgow.
To create the effect of a steam locomotive with the pistons driving the wheels, Britten utilised a most unorthodox percussion section, which included “Steam”, “Rail”, “Siren” and “Coal falling down shaft”. His research involved a freezing night on a railway platform.
Composer Arthur Honegger said: “I have always loved locomotives passionately. For me they are living creatures, and I love them as others love women or horses.” A famous railway-related piece of music was the result. Nevertheless, In 1949 Jean Mitry’s award-winning film Pacific 231, a tribute to the steam locomotive, used the work as its soundtrack.
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