Page 705 - Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Coverage Book 2023-24

Admittedly, McCartney’s visit had been a long shot. But the message he
sent was a thoughtful one. And in the end, we were at Music Hall to hear
and see the show itself.

First, a little background. In 1990, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic
Orchestra asked McCartney to write a piece to celebrate the orchestra’s
150th anniversary the following year.

Working with composer Carl Davis, McCartney created a semi-
autobiographical, 90-minute work called “Liverpool Oratorio.” It opens
with a boy named Shanty being born into a working-class family in 1942
and attending a boys’ school.

But that is as far as the biographical material goes. “Liverpool Oratorio”
was never intended to be about the Beatles or Wings or any of McCartney’s
other pop-music ventures.

What sets the Cincinnati performances apart from other presentations is
that instead of presenting the music in its original oratorio form – basically,
an unstaged concert presentation – Cincinnati Opera transformed the work
into a fully staged opera.

The result? Decidedly mixed.

Kayleigh Decker as Miss Inkley, along with members of the Cincinnati Boychoir in
Cincinnati Opera’s production of “Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio.”
PHILIP GROSHONG/PROVIDED BY CINCINNATI OPERA