"It’s always been for us playing Beatles music to play it as closely as to the way they’ve done it, because really, they’ve done it the best. That’s what makes it fun when you can sound like they do. There was really no point in writing your own arrangement or making an arrangement of a song that doesn’t even have orchestra in it. So the fun was to take the songs like 'I Am the Walrus' piece by piece and make it sound like they did it." Jim Owen, who portrays John Lennon in Classical Mystery Tour

Beatles tribute Classic Mystery Tour to perform with Meridian symphony

    Imagine … The Beatles playing in concert with a symphony orchestra.

    Now, imagine The Beatles playing in concert with the Meridian Symphony Orchestra. You won’t have to wonder what it would sound like because Classical Mystery Tour – a traveling tribute to The Beatles backed by a live symphony orchestra – will perform live in concert Saturday at the MSU Riley Center.

    The four musicians in Classical Mystery Tour look and sound just like The Beatles, but Classical Mystery Tour is more than just a rock concert. 

    The full show presents some 30 Beatles tunes sung, played and performed exactly as they were written. Hear “Penny Lane” with a live trumpet section; experience the beauty of “Yesterday” with an acoustic guitar and string quartet; enjoy the rock/classical blend on the hard edged “I Am the Walrus.” From early Beatles music on through the solo years, Classical Mystery Tour is the best of The Beatles like you’ve never heard them: totally live.

    “Throughout their long career, the Beatles always had an interest in orchestral sounds, and many of their songs have an inherently orchestral feel,” MSO Music Director Peter Rubardt said. “This makes them a natural for an orchestral collaboration, and Classical Mystery Tour is the go-to band for that. They’ve got it down: the costumes, the voices, the arrangements, the instruments, the hair styles, the accents. I’ve done this show a few times before, and I’m thrilled we could get it to Meridian. It’s a guaranteed great time.”

    Classical Mystery Tour features Jim Owen (John Lennon) on rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals; Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) on bass guitar, piano, and vocals; David John (George Harrison) on lead guitar and vocals; and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr) on drums and vocals. Martin Herman, who transcribed the musical scores note for note from Beatles recordings, conducts many of the Classical Mystery Tour concerts.

    The concept is the brainchild of Owen, who was a member of BEATLEMANIA, also a Beatles tribute band.

    “For all the years that we’ve been playing Beatles songs, we’d always tried to cover all the orchestra parts on keyboards or by hiring a fifth guy to play keyboard parts or guys in the band would try and sequence stuff or whatever – and it was never fully satisfactory,” Owen said in an interview with EAR CANDY Mag.

    “Sort of a thing that came to mind was ‘wouldn’t it be great to play this with a full orchestra and they can play the parts that we need.’ Finally I got serious enough about it onetime, where one of the agents said, ‘if you can get this thing off the ground, we can book it.’ So, I found a guy here in California to help me write out all the charts, scores and parts for the orchestra…that was in 1996,” he said.

    The tour members will rehearse with the Meridian Symphony Orchestra earlier on the day of the concert. The music is performed exactly as the recorded orchestra parts on The Beatles songs; there are no deviations.

    “That was the whole point of the idea,” Owen said. “It’s always been for us playing Beatles music to play it as closely as to the way they’ve done it, because really, they’ve done it the best. That’s what makes it fun when you can sound like they do. There was really no point in writing your own arrangement or making an arrangement of a song that doesn’t even have orchestra in it. So the fun was to take the songs like ‘I Am the Walrus’ piece by piece and make it sound like they did it.”

    Rubardt, who also serves as music director of the Pensacola Symphony and interim music director of the Gulf Coast Symphony, recognizes the songs of Lennon and McCartney as true classics, like Mozart and Beethoven.

    “They are punchy, direct, brilliantly crafted and memorable,” he said. “Most of all, there is a recognizable voice behind this music; the Beatles were one of our cultural meeting points. Speaking for myself, the Beatles were the soundtrack to my life for many of my most formative years, and I suspect many of you reading this feel the same way.”

    Local preparations for Classical Mystery Tour have been under way for several weeks.

    “Because everything is ‘authentic,’ – from the music scores to the instruments to the sound equipment – this show has been a huge part of my life, as well as that of Bill Nix at the Riley Center for several weeks,” said Susie Johnson, executive director of the Meridian Symphony Association.

    “It’s a little nerve-wracking, but at the same time, it’s extraordinary and exciting. Classical Mystery has sold out everywhere it goes for almost 20 years, and I am thrilled that we are finally getting it here in Meridian. I love events that are inter-generational, and this is definitely an opportunity for folks to share this music with both older and younger generations,” Johnson said.

    • A Sergeant Pepper’s Pre-Concert Bash will be held at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ball Room of the MSU Riley Center.

BOX

What: Classical Mystery Tour, a traveling tribute to The Beatles backed by The Meridian Symphony Orchestra.

When: Saturday, 7 p.m.; Pre-concert Bash, 6 p.m.

Where: MSU Riley Center

Ticket Information: Riley Center Box Office, Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Box office phone number, (601)696-2200