July 18, 20, 21(m), 25 & 27(m), 2024
Springer Auditorium, Music Hall
Cincinnati, Ohio – USA
Paul McCARTNEY & Carl DAVIS: Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio
Sung in English with projected lyrics
Joseph Young, conductor; Caroline Clegg, stage director; Paul McCartney & Carl Davis, composers & librtettists. Cast: Andrew Owens (Shanty), Jacqueline Echols McCarley (Mary Dee), Kayleigh Decker (Miss Inkley/Chief Mourner/Nurse), Kevin Short (Headmaster/Preacher/Mr. Dingle). Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Ballet, Cincinnati Boychoir, and the Cincinnati Opera Chorus. Creative: Leslie Travers, set & costume designer; Thomas C. Hase, lighting designer; Michael Pappalardo, choreographer; Henri Venanzi, chorus master.
Mark Gresham | 25 JUL 2024
The American premiere of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio at Carnegie Hall in November 1991 received mixed reviews. Critics acknowledged the ambitious nature of McCartney’s first full-length symphonic composition, created in collaboration with composer-conductor Carl Davis (who passed away last year). The New York Times noted that the piece was richly melodic and lavishly orchestrated, drawing influences from early 20th-century French music and English oratorio, with echoes of classical, late Romantic, and theatrical music styles.
However, some reviews were less favorable, criticizing the work for being overly long and derivative. Critics pointed out that while McCartney’s pop sensibility was evident, the oratorio sometimes lacked depth in its lyrical content. Despite these criticisms, the premiere was a notable success, with performances filmed and recorded for a two-disc album release.
While it may not have impressed all critics, the Liverpool Oratorio was a significant and successful endeavor that showcased McCartney’s versatility as a composer and his ability to blend popular and classical music elements.
The oratorio’s narrative, reflecting McCartney’s own upbringing in Liverpool, was praised for its emotional depth and accessibility. The protagonist, Shanty, mirrors McCartney’s life, born in Liverpool during World War II, as he navigates the themes of childhood, love, responsibilities, and reconciliation from an English working Everyman’s point of view.
I was present for that 1991 American premiere at Carnegie Hall, so I felt it fitting to be present at Music Hall this past Thursday, July 18, when Cincinnati Opera presented the world premiere of the first-ever staged production of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. The operatic staging significantly amplified the original concert work, making the effort a winning choice. It added extra dimensions to the work that clarified and fleshed out the drama.
The opening scene – “War” – from Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 production of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio. (center, front:) Andrew Owens as Shanty. (credit: Philip Groshong)
Performed without intermission, the Liverpool Oratorio consists of eight movements. All of the music for this staged version is exactly the same as the original oratorio, except for three points where McCartney allowed a repeat of 32 bars to facilitate scene changes; in one of them, where the music includes a vocal line, the repeat was slightly re-scored as fully instrumental, according to Cincinnati Opera artistic director Evans Mirageas, who presented a pre-performance talk.
The set design by Leslie Travers, who also designed the costumes, is grounded upon a map of Liverpool on which all of the action takes place, like a giant rug laid across the stage at an angle so the lower right corner drapes off the stage’s apron, and the upper left curls upward.
The orchestral Prelude offers a quick look at people in a street in modern-day Liverpool in preparation for the protagonist, Shanty (tenor Andrew Owens), to reflect on his past.
With the subsequent scene change, the story begins in a flashback to 1942 in Liverpool during World War II. The city is under a heavy bombing raid, with people crowded into a bomb shelter—a peak scene for both Travers’ set and Thomas C. Hase’s lighting design, adding tangible emotional power to the evocations of the music and sung text.
At the beginning of this scene (entitled “War”), we are introduced to the Latin motto “non nobis solum, sed omnibus” (“not for ourselves, but for all”) taken from Cicero, which becomes an ethical underscore for the entire oratorio. The birth of Shanty during the air raid symbolizes hope amidst chaos and destruction. Not just just hope for him, but for all of society.
The narrative then leaps forward to 1953: Shanty is now 11 years old in school, where he and his schoolmates have learned that being born in Liverpool carries with it, culturally, “certain responsibilities” as well as a common social identity.
He enjoys a carefree childhood in post-war Liverpool, often skipping school to spend time with his friends in the graveyard of Liverpool Cathedral. During these lighthearted moments, he dreams of past and future ghosts, including a vision of his future bride, Mary Dee (Jacqueline Echols McCarley).
Back at school, Shanty and his classmates are introduced to Spanish through folk songs by their new teacher, Miss Inkley (Kayleigh Decker, in one of three roles). The school’s Headmaster joins in (bass-baritone Kevin Short, likewise in one of three roles).
Forward to 1959, with a teenage Shanty dealing with confusion and existential doubts. At a church dance held in the crypt, he has another vision of Mary Dee, though he cannot fully see her. This scene coincides with the devastating news of his father’s death, leaving Shanty feeling alone and sorrowful.
During his father’s funeral, Shanty reflects on their relationship, grappling with his emotions, confusion, and his father’s mortality. Eventually, he comes to terms with his father’s humanity and seeks forgiveness, finding some peace in the process.
As a young man in the early 1960s, Shanty reflects on life while riding a bus. Mary Dee is drawn to him, offering comfort and calming his ambitions. They express their love for each other and get married, starting a new life chapter.
Cincinnati Opera’s 2024 production of Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Oratorio: Wedding of Shanty and Mary Dee. (l-r:) Andrew Owens as Shanty, Kevin Short as Preacher, and Jacqueline Echols McCarley as Mary Dee. (credit: Philip Groshong)
Mary Dee is a successful and busy businesswoman managing an office staffed entirely by women. She often works late, driven by her responsibilities. In contrast, Shanty works in a lower-paying job where his colleagues encourage a more relaxed attitude. Shanty struggles with feelings of inadequacy compared to Mary Dee’s success. A colleague, Mr. Dingle (Kevin Short), tempts Shanty to spend time at the pub. At home, Mary Dee reveals that she is pregnant.
Anxious about their unborn child’s future, Mary Dee sings to her baby. Shanty arrives home drunk and irritable, leading to an argument over finances and his feelings of inadequacy. In his anger, Shanty doubts Mary Dee’s love, causing her to leave in distress. Tragically, she is hit by a car. At the hospital, a nurse encourages Mary Dee to hold on to life as she experiences delirious visions of ghosts trying to take her baby. Shanty, filled with remorse, prays for their survival and promises to change.
It is no surprise that the imagery of pregnancy and birth under a cloud of domestic conflict circles back to the birth of Shanty during World War II: relational conflicts on both large and small scales, where a birth symbolizes hope for the future and, in the case of Shanty and Mary Dee, a catalyst for resolution and harmony.
Shanty celebrates the birth of his child, finding joy in the miracle of life. The preacher (Kevin Short) sings about the fragile magic of family life. Shanty and Mary Dee, now committed to each other and their child, pledge to stay together forever, celebrating their enduring love and the new life they have created.
The cast’s core quartet of singers was more than capable: tenor Andrew Owens was a very natural Shanty with his appealing lyrical, expressive voice, while soprano Jacqueline Echols McCarle was a strong co-lead as Mary Dee with some emotional range. Most notable was her rendition of the lullaby “The world you’re coming into.”
Mezzo-soprano Kayleigh Decker effectively played multiple roles: the teacher Miss Inkley, the Chief Mourner at Shanty’s father’s funeral, and the Nurse attending the injured Mary Dee; likewise did Kevin Short, with his powerful bass-baritone, who was convincing as the Headmaster, the Preacher, and Shanty’s work colleague Mr. Dingle.
But this work was born as an oratorio, so it inherently involves a significant choral element. The Cincinnati Opera Chorus, directed by Henri Venanzi, and the Cincinnati Boychoir, directed by Jason Alexander Holmes, plus dancers from Cincinnati Ballet, brought Liverpool’s larger community into the fore harmony with McCartney’s evocation of Cicero’s “non nobis solum” civic dictum.
Some of the Ballet’s dancers also shadowed the roles of cast members, particularly Simone Muhammad and Marcus Romeo, as moving echoes of Mary Dee and Shanty, at one point accompanied by the solo violin of Philip Marten, the first assistant principal concertmaster of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, which provided a solid musical underpinning for the entire production, led by conductor Joseph Young. The deployment of the collective human forces by stage director Caroline Clegg was natural and unaffected, which suited the work well. All in all, this staged production of Liverpool Oratorio was a success that added artistically viable dimensions to the original concert work.
As for criticism of McCartney for a perceived “lack of depth” in his lyrical content, it is worth remembering that Shanty is no Siegfried, Liverpool Oratorio is no Ring Cycle—nor were they intended to be. Shanty’s story is about the average Jack born in the working-class society of mid-20th-century England. It speaks (sings) to the everyday life challenges of ordinary people, and to their commonality. And that alone is no small artistic feat. ■
Cincinnati Opera’s production of Paul McCartney’s “Liverpool Oratorio” continues at Music Hall tonight (July 25) and Saturday, July 27.
EXTERNAL LINKS:
- Cincinnati Opera: cincinnatiopera.org
Read more by Mark Gresham.
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