Classical Concert Reviews Cinci

@cincinnatiopera concluded its 2024 summer season with a fantastic world premiere staging of Liverpool Oratorio, with music by a figure best known as a member of the Beatles making his first foray into the classical realm, Paul McCartney. In collaboration with the American composer and conductor Carl Davis (who handled the orchestration of the piece), it draws inspiration from events in McCartney’s childhood, including being born amidst the Liverpool Blitz in World War II.
While musically it has many hallmarks of McCartney’s writing style in his vast output of songs (particularly his heavy emphasis on melody) combined with the sweep of film music (Carl Davis being best-known for writing orchestral scores to silent films), in particular those of Charlie Chaplin), structurally it felt very unbalanced. Much of the opera felt more like individual vignettes rather than a cohesive story, requiring lengthy orchestral interludes to fill out changes in scenery. However, the artistry that tonight’s cast brought to this world premiere more than made up for those drawbacks.
Tenor Andrew Owen’s as Shanty possessed a warm, well-rounded tone reminiscent of the much-lamented Jerry Hadley, who helped premiere the score in 1991. Soprano Jacqueline Echols-McCarley was wonderfully reverent in her role as Mary Dee, even if it felt somewhat lacking in dramatic power in some places.
Mezzo soprano Kayleigh Decker and bass-baritone Kevin Short, each tackling three smaller though no less impactful roles, brought performances which were at turns quirky, sorrowful and fun.
The Cincinnati Opera Chorus and Cincinnati Boychoir were in wonderful form, even if their parts were smaller than expected or might have required more singers for the latter group for maximum effectiveness. The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra brought the score vividly to life under the direction of Joseph Young.
It is always a joy to see what new projects Cincinnati Opera has brought to the world like this one, and I eagerly anticipate more fascinating new operas to come, especially its new Black Opera Project starting in 2025.