When a rock icon turns to classical music, it makes a splash in both worlds. That was the case when Paul McCartney, along with Carl Davis, wrote Liverpool Oratorio. It debuted in Liverpool in 1991, and later received its U.S. premiere at Carnegie Hall. So far, San Francisco audiences have had a single chance to hear it live locally, when Winifred Baker and the San Francisco Civic Chorus gave two performances at Grace Cathedral in 1992. That will change on May 21, when the San Francisco Sinfonietta Orchestra and Chorus, along with the 100-voice Adda Clevenger Youth Chorus and soloists Eileen Meredith, Kristine Sinajon, John Davey-Hatcher, and Teagan Moore, perform the oratorio at the historic Mission Dolores Basilica.
It’s a fitting end-of-season choice for the group, as it exemplifies General Director Urs Leonhardt Steiner’s philosophy that all music is intertwined. While the Liverpool Oratorio was written as a classical piece, he refers to numerous areas throughout the movements that are “Beatle moments.” It’s also an accessible work that he thinks will resonate with most people, citing in particular the anguish that can arise from parent-child relationships that is present in Movement IV, and the comments on work in Movement VI.
The Oratorio isn’t the only reason to attend, though. The entire program, which includes two premieres, is designed to blend musical genres and also showcase some of the individual members of the orchestra and chorus. One of the new works is HarpBeat, written by Steven L. Keys. A Bay Area musician and composer who plays French horn in the Sinfonietta, Keys was inspired by his fellow Sinfonietta musicians when composing this piece.
The second premiere, Chroma, is a father/son collaboration. Brian Byrnes, a local singer, songwriter, guitarist, and harmonica player, will be making his debut as an orchestra soloist with the piece, which features the chromatic harmonica in a concerto of sorts. For his son, the musician and composer Brendan Byrnes, it’s his orchestral debut, as well as a chance to work with his father, thus making a move away from his focus on writing for large electric guitar ensembles and electronic music and for scoring music for choreographers in Los Angeles.
Finally, there’s Boxmaker, presented by A Decent Performance. Although this may seem to be simply a band performance designed solely to mesh with the other pieces, there is also a Sinfonietta connection. Two members of the band, which was formed in South Carolina but is now based in the Bay Area, also sing in the Sinfonietta Chorus.
As with all San Francisco Sinfonietta productions, this promises to be an exciting and fun-filled event — full of interesting music, great performers who truly enjoy each other’s company, and plenty of joy in the music.