Macquarie Philharmonia

Press Release: 

Classical Mystery Tour

BATHURST SHOW SOLD OUT!

TICKETS SELLING FAST IN ORANGE, DON'T MISS OUT.

ph Orange Civic Theatre on (02) 6393 8111.

Featuring original members of the Broadway sensation BEATLEMANIA performing live in concert with the Macquarie Philharmonia, in association with Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre, Orange Civic Theatre, Music House and Symphony Services Australia.

Imagine The Beatles playing in concert with a symphony orchestra.  What would that have sounded like?  Find out for yourself when Classical Mystery Tour - a tribute to The Beatles featuring original members of the Broadway sensation "BEATLEMANIA" performs live in concert with the Macquarie Philharmonia at Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre and Orange Civic Theatre in July 2009.

Last November's Classical Mystery Tour concert at the Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles was a hit with both critics and fans.  The Los Angeles Times called the show "more than just an incredible simulation...the swelling strings and soaring French horn lines gave Saturday's live performance a high goose-bump quotient...the crowd stood and bellowed for more."

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 show presents some 20 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.

Classical Mystery Tour features Jim Owen (John Lennon) on rhythm guitar, piano, and vocals; Tony Kishman (Paul McCartney) on bass guitar, piano, and vocals; Tom Teeley (George Harrison) on lead guitar and vocals; and Chris Camilleri (Ringo Starr) on drums and vocals.  Martin Herman conducts the Macquarie Philharmonia.

"We really make an effort to sound exactly like the originals," explains Owen, who admits that he and the other three BEATLEMANIA members are big Beatles fans. "The orchestra score is exact, right down to every note and instrument that was on the original recording.  On 'Got to Get You Into My Life,' we have two tenor saxes and three trumpets.  That's what it was written for, and that's what we use.  And on 'A Day in the Life,' can you imagine that big orchestra crescendo happening live?"     

  
From the recent celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Beatles’ triumphant visit to the U.S., to the success of The Beatles Anthology and The Beatles 1 Album, the demand for Beatles material is greater than ever.  Many Beatles fans never had the opportunity to experience a live Beatles show; Classical Mystery Tour offers that live experience in the comfort of the 800 seat Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre and 600 seat Orange Civic Theatre.

"We have some real show-stopping numbers," says Owen.  "I wish I could actually be in the audience to see and hear this show.  The power of the emotional and nostalgic connection back to each of our individual experiences with The Beatles is hard to put into words."

Tickets for Classical Mystery Tour are available from Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre ph (02) 6333 6161 and Orange Civic Theatre ph (02) 6393 8112. General enquiries (02) 6331 1161.