Strawberry Field, the latest addition to Beatles tourism, marked the 50th anniversary of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ by inviting a student from Paul McCartney’s Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts to play the very piano on which John Lennon composed and recorded ‘Imagine’. The Liverpool Signing Choir, joined by Julia Baird, John Lennon’s sister and Major Kathy Versfeld, mission director of Strawberry Field accompanied the piano.
Archive film footage from 1971 shows a relaxed John Lennon at the piano composing ‘Imagine’ before he turns to his keyboard player to remark: “That’s the one I like best”. The world-famous piano was taken on tour by George Michael as a symbol of peace in the early 2000s and hasn’t been played in a performance since 2007. It is now on loan to the Strawberry Field exhibition, courtesy of the estate of the late George Michael.
Major Kathy Versfeld, mission director of Strawberry Field says: “In October 2020 as we welcomed the piano into its new home here, we saw the impact that this fabulous piano had, not just on visitors to our exhibition but even further afield, across the entire city of Liverpool.
“At a time when there was so much fear and uncertainty around Covid-19, it was a beacon of hope, light at a dark time. As the country emerges from another lockdown, I hope people will be inspired by this performance to reimagine a better world in the here and now, where we are not divided by what we believe, or how we look, or where we live.”
Joe Worthington, a student from Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA) was invited to play the piano for this momentous occasion. He says: “Being a student in Liverpool and at LIPA, The Beatles, their music, influence and legacy is ingrained in me. Playing Imagine, such an anthem of peace, on the piano that John Lennon wrote and recorded it on was brilliant.”
Alongside Joe, The Liverpool Signing Choir were asked to sign the lyrics to the song. A unique, city wide and inclusively diverse choir based in Liverpool, they have performed at events across Europe, notably, performing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ at the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.
The piano was delivered to Strawberry Field on 9 October 2020 to mark what would have been John Lennon’s 80th birthday. It was always George’s intention that the iconic musical instrument should be enjoyed by the people of John’s home city. The ‘Imagine’ piano is on display now in the Strawberry Field exhibition.
www.strawberryfieldliverpool.com
