The anticipation had been building for weeks and known only as a 'musical installation', it was an event shrouded in secrecy. But last night saw Manchester Piccadilly train station come to life courtesy of The Royal Northern College of Music.

The End of the Line (A Brief Encounter) finally arrived. The station echoed with the sounds of trumpets, saxophones and piccolos as wandering minstrels weaved through the crowd. Amazed commuters stopped in their tracks as the 200 talented musicians started an unforgettable performance.

The event’s accompanying literature called The End of the Line a story of love, with four couples, dressed from the era of Brief Encounter, performing an emotional, musical journey. A tough task, maybe, but beautifully done nonetheless.

Timeless love in Piccadilly station

The haunting tones of the four bass singers penetrated through the noisy atmosphere of the station, causing commuters and onlookers alike to stop in their tracks. It really was a solemn story of timeless love played out underneath the Piccadilly station clock.

The hour-long event transformed the station into a musical venue for a one-off show, with music by composer Peter Wiegold and words by Dominic Power. With a 500-strong crowd watching, the RNCM students succeeded in living up to the pre-event publicity.
 
One of the event sponsors, The Piccadilly Partnership and its team were in attendance, with Janet Dunnett, chief executive, commenting at the event; “This was a challenging and risk-taking event, given the unique surroundings of the station. Many of the people I watched and spoke to, called it "amazing" and thought we should have "more events like this". All credit goes to the RNCM and Network Rail for being prepared to take that risk with very successful results.”

To see a behind the scenes video of The End of the Line, click HERE

Verdict? An iconic Piccadilly building became something unique for one night only - a concert hall. More of this, please.