All You Need is Love
Cadogan Hall
Reviewed – 18th April 2019
★★★★
“a perfect representation of songs that changed musical styles so much six decades ago”
In 1960 the world was introduced to The Beatles, a group of four young musicians from Liverpool. Over the course of the next decade, before their eventual break up, they were regarded as some of the most influential musicians and songwriters of the twentieth century. Under the guidance of record producer George Martin (often referred to as the Fifth Beatle) they experimented with a number of musical styles including psychedelia, Indian, classical, as well as unconventional recording techniques. It was Martin who convinced Paul McCartney that the arrangement of Yesterday should feature a string quartet and there started a long run of tracks that were to include orchestral arrangements.
Fast forward almost sixty years and the public appetite for listening to The Beatles catalogue remains almost as strong as ever. All You Need Is Love is a concert honouring the talents of The Beatles and is superbly supported by The National Philharmonic Concert Orchestra. The show includes over thirty songs, many of the number one hits as well as tracks from nine of their thirteen groundbreaking albums.
The four band members appearing in All You Need Is Love have a strong history of performing Beatles music, having each performed in the West End and touring stage show Let It Be. Emanuelle Angeletti (Paul McCartney), Paul Canning (John Lennon), John Brosnan (George Harrison) and Luke Roberts (Ringo Starr) have all studied their characters in fine detail, perfectly imitating the mannerisms, dress, looks and sounds of the Fab Four.
Whilst much thought has gone into the costumes the band are associated with, it is of course the music that stands out. For some two and a half hours we were treated to note perfect renditions of glorious songs that were beautifully enhanced by the orchestra who clearly enjoyed themselves. Martin Herman is an energetic conductor/arranger and whilst it is hard to pick out individuals concert master Nadine Guerke on violin and percussionist Steve Vintner caught both the eye and ear with their performances.
Stand out songs were Yesterday, Imagine, The Long and Winding Road, Penny Lane and audience participation was encouraged for You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away, Yellow Submarine and the closing number Hey Jude.
What didn’t work as well was the video projection. It didn’t add anything to the show and on many occasions it was a distraction. The music and performance really didn’t need any additional support.
It goes without saying that for any fan of The Beatles this is an unmissable show. For the uninitiated, this show gives a perfect representation of songs that changed musical styles so much six decades ago, yet don’t sound out of place in the twenty first century.
Reviewed by Steve Sparrow
All You Need is Love
Cadogan Hall then UK Tour continues
Previously reviewed at this venue:
At Last: The Etta James Story | ★★★★ | October 2018
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