Beyond the Beatles: Liverpool Becomes a Cultural Capital.

The opening weekend kicks off with a performance of "Liverpool The Musical" featuring Ringo Starr and Dave Stewart on Friday, Jan. 11, with a free open-air show. Other performers include Vasily Petrenko conducting the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, The Bunnymen, Pete Wylie and Ian Broudie. The show will celebrate the official opening of the 10,000-seat Liverpool Arena.

While in Beatles mode, guests might visit The Beatles Story, which has doubled its exhibit space in time for the Capital of Culture celebrations. Visitors can see original instruments the young lads from Liverpool played; the influence of American music; how manager Brian Epstein took them in hand, paying off their debts and shaping their image; and how their stay in Hamburg played a role in their use of drugs and raunchier music.


On Sunday, Jan. 13, many major arts venues will be opened. Liverpool boasts England's largest selection of art galleries and museums outside of London. For instance, the Walker Museum features a broad spectrum of art - the 17th century mounts pieces by Murillo and Rembrandt, but the 18th century collection is stronger. The gallery's offerings after 1877 are thin, perhaps because of the exhibits in the Tate Liverpool. Impressionists include Degas, Monet, Matisse, Seurat and Cezanne, while 19th century pieces focus mainly on British artists.

From Feb. 1 to May 5, the works of French artist Niki de Saint Phalle will be exhibited for the first time in the United Kingdom at the Tate Liverpool. Rodin's "The Kiss," Degas' "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen," Picasso's "Weeping Woman" and Andy Warhol's "Marilyn Diptych" have joined the permanent exhibits, which include works by David Hockney, Helen Chadwick and Alberto Giacometti.

Also at the Tate Liverpool will be the United Kingdom's first comprehensive exhibition of work by the Austrian artist Gustav Klimt. In conjunction with that, folks are encouraged to put on their dancing shoes for two Viennese-style balls on April 12 and 13. The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra will provide the music.

From April 18 to Aug. 10, the Walker Art Gallery will mount "Art in the Age of Steam." It will focus on artists' reaction to steam locomotion, as interpreted by such luminaries as Monet, Pissarro and Hopper.

On June 1, this world music capital will celebrate its prominence as Sir Paul McCartney leads The Liverpool Sound Concert at Anfield Stadium - the home of the Liverpool Football Club before it moves to its new stadium - which will be beamed live across the world.

Visitors might also like to pay homage to the pop star by visiting the row house where he lived with his family between the ages of 13 and 22, 29 Forthlin Road. Because his brother was a photographer, many photos remain of that era. One is of Paul and John Lennon (whom he met on the bus going to school because they both played the guitar) writing "I Saw Her Standing There."

Lennon's home, Mendips, is also open to visitors. The middle-class, semidetached house was where John was raised by his aunt and uncle. He attributed their influence and his experiences here to his later success. Visitors can stand just where he wrote poetry and song lyrics.

On June 28, the Liverpool Cathedral will stage an especially commissioned production of Benjamin Britten's "War Requiem," performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and choirs of Liverpool Cathedral, Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral and Cologne Cathedral.

Liverpool boasts two cathedrals: The Anglican sandstone Liverpool Cathedral with Gothic arches, begun in 1904, and the modern concrete Roman Catholic Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, not consecrated until 1967 because the heavy German bombing during World War II delayed its construction. The former is prized for its stained-glass works, including several windows of 20th century figures.

From July there will be an exhibition of the city's musical legacy titled "The Beat Goes On" featuring contemporary music back to the '70s at World Museum Liverpool. This amazing museum, among the Georgian and neo-Georgian buildings, offers much more.

"These collections accentuate the links between Liverpool's shipping and the rest of the world," said Dr. Stephen Judd, deputy director.

One of the most astounding pieces is a codex dated from 1521, from before Cortez destroyed the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan; it's frequently requested by other museums. This year will highlight a new major Egyptian collection.

A maritime festival will be held throughout July featuring the spectacular start of The Tall Ships Races 2008, which involves more than 3,000 young sailors from across Europe. For young people, there will also be a festival over the summer that features the creation of a cultural village.

The Merseyside waterfront is a UNESCO World Heritage site for its value as a mercantile port and the emigration of 9 million slaves and Irish and Eastern Europeans to America, Canada and the Caribbean. In fact, a visit to the Merseyside Museum provides great insight into this trade. An offshoot that has become a major exhibit itself is the International Slavery Museum. Here, a re-creation of an African village, ship models of slaves packed like fish in cans - Liverpool had become the capital of the trans-Atlantic slave trade - and exhibits of metal masks fastened to faces to force-feed suicidal slaves portray the horrors of this lucrative business and the culture it destroyed.

Culturally, Sept. 4 will see the return of hometown son Sir Simon Rattle to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, along with Vladimir Ashkenazy; on Oct. 2 he'll conduct the Liverpool Philharmonic. The epic poem "Burial at Thebes," written by Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney, will be performed on Oct. 12 at Liverpool Philharmonic Hall as part of the Liverpool Irish Festival. A Le Corbusier architectural exhibit will premier from Oct. 2 to Jan. 18, 2009, in the Metropolitan Cathedral's Crypt. Nov. 7 brings The Shipping Lines Festival to the University of Liverpool, where great contemporary authors will speak and read to adults and children about Liverpool's connections to other parts of the world.

IF YOU GO

For information, visit www.liverpool08.com or write Liverpool Culture Co., P.O. Box 2008, Municipal Building, Dale Street, Liverpool, England, L2 2DH.

British Airways flies nonstop from New York's JFK to Manchester or through London to Manchester from other gateways. Call 800-247-9297 or visit www.britishairways.com.

FlyGlobespan began operating a low-budget airline directly to Liverpool from New York's JFK the summer of 2007. It resumes flights in April 2008 with a new fleet. Schedules and rates will be announced later. Call
800-883-8614 or visit www.flyglobespan.com.

All national museums offer free admission.

When it opens in January, the Hard Day's Night Hotel will offer 110 rooms and suites, each depicting a different part of the Beatles' story through its artwork by internationally known Beatles artist Shannon. Pictures of the icons will be woven throughout the public areas, as well. It's located in a restored historic six-story building dating from 1884 on the corner of Matthew Street, near the site of the Cavern Club, where the Beatles first skyrocketed to fame. Visit www.harddaysnighthotel.com.

The Malmaison is a full-service, sleek, modern hotel right at the docks, within walking distance of many venues. Visit www.malmaison.com.

For delightful cutting-edge meals, choose The London Carriage Works located in the Hope Street Hotel, 40 Hope St.

Molly Arost Staub is a freelance travel writer.

© Copley News Service