Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, March 21, 1994 TAG: 9403210007
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: EXTRA-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SETH WILLIAMSON SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The former Beatle's only essay into classical music earned a standing ovation from a packed church for conductor Richard Cummins, the Greene Memorial Choir, the Montgomery County Boychoir, pianist Rebecca Wallenborn, organist Jeryl Powell and nine soloists. About a hundred concertgoers were waiting outside when the doors opened a full hour hour before curtain time and extra chairs had to be set out to handle the crowd.
As for the work itself - well, Britten and Shostakovich don't have anything to worry about just yet. The "Liverpool Oratorio" probably isn't destined for an eternal place in the classical music repertory.
And yet, the oratorio's tale of an average man's search for God, love and purpose in a chaotic universe, culminating in his renewed discovery of meaning through his wife and child, has an immediate appeal for most people. McCartney's music is rarely less than pleasant, and at moments achieves a touching beauty.
Tenor Joe Gaskey was the big star Sunday afternoon. The former Greene Memorial choir member traveled from Charlotte to sing the role of Shanty - McCartney's alter ego - and did a fine job. Though there were moments when Gaskey drifted a few micro-tones sharp, he handled the role with seeming ease. The extremely high tessitura did seem to push him to the upper limit of his range, however.
Jayne Vest's beautiful solo-quality soprano was a pleasant surprise in the divided role of Mary Dee, Shanty's wife. Vest sang the part of Mary Dee's spirit, while veteran soprano Rita Cummins was the in-the-flesh Mary Dee. Cummins turned in a typically professional job, with a crystalline upper register and fine dynamic control.
One reason this performance of the "Liverpool Oratorio" made such a big impression on the Greene Memorial audience was the Montgomery County Boychoir, who looked sharp and knew their parts inside and out. The "School" movement of the work, a light-hearted Spanish lesson that featured the boys, teacher Miss Inkley (sung by Jean Rakes) and the Headmaster (sung by Jack Wimmer) earned a round of applause at its conclusion. Boy treble Brian St. John did a yeoman job of opening the work all on his own and in several solos later on.
There are fewer good choral sections in this work than in most oratorios, but the Greene Memorial choir managed to shine in the "Hosanna and Gloria in excelsis" chorale of the "Wedding" movement and the "God is good" chorale in the final movement. Also impressive was Rita Cummins' and Joe Gaskey's duet "We are together" near the end of the "Crises" movement.
Which leads to the only serious shortcoming of this performance. To be merciful to his choir, which could not sit down during the performance, Richard Cummins skipped one movement and edited out a big chunk of the "Crises" movement. Which unfortunately interrupted the dramatic arc of the work by skipping Shanty and Mary Dee's domestic difficulties. While it was fine to hear them pledge their togetherness, it was impossible to experience the last movement as a resolution since we did not first hear their problems.
The performance got healthy applause that turned into a standing ovation with shouts of bravo when Joe Gaskey took his bow.
by CNB