In a muddied nightdress, in a country kitchen, Violet finally smiles. For years, her tired daily routine has been dictated by the inescapable chime of the Clock Tower, until one night she feels time quicken. Suddenly an hour is lost – every day. As the hours disappear, long-held certainties evaporate and ordered society falls into disarray. With the townspeople in crisis, can Violet finally escape?

Combining the acclaimed talents of writer Alice Birch (TV adaptations include Normal People; film Mothering Sunday, Lady Macbeth; stage Anatomy of a Suicide) and Composer Tom Coult (commissions include First Night of the Proms, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, London Sinfonietta, currently Composer-in-Association with the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra), this is opera for now and about now.