1. I. Spiritus
2. II. Gratia
3. Interlude (Lament)		play
4. III. Musica
5. IV. Ecce Cor Meum

Kate Royal - soprano
David Theodore – oboe
Colm Carey – organ
Mark Law - piccolo trumpet
Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields
Gavin Greenaway - conductor

Paul McCartney's new "classical" oratorio is called Ecce Cor Meum, which translates as "Behold My Heart." The idealistic texts, also by McCartney, are meditations on goodness, spirituality, peace, and love, and are well served by the pretty, Romantic melodies; the long choral and orchestral sections flow one into the next. The Interlude (composed after the death of his wife, Linda), with its lovely oboe solo, is simple and moving. The music builds throughout to an emotional climax and the entrance of the organ later in the work--beautifully played and handsomely recorded--is quite remarkable. This is a far more advanced work than 1991's Liverpool Oratorio: better orchestrated, more through-composed. No, it's not the last word in compositional sophistication, but it has many beautiful moments, and McCartney's legions of fans will need to own it. --Robert Levine

This choral and classical instrumental gem is profoundly spiritual and captivating. The lyrics yearn with idealism, the choirs are celestial and the orchestra is equally uplifting and replete with pathos. The Interlude track is a melancholic marvel relating to the sad death of Linda McCartney. I was shocked to hear how much more advanced Paul McCartney has become in the realm of classical music. Ecce Cor Meum is vastly superior to Liverpool Oratorio and it surpasses the respectable Standing Stone. I am a rock music fan but I listened to Ecce Cor Meum four consectutive times last night. After the third play I was convinced that this CD's grandeur, pathos and spirituality combined to make it a masterpiece. The lyrics are sanctifying as they accentuate that our innate nature is laden with a universal love that we need to rediscover. McCartney's spirituality is profound. Paul is a Sir, a Beatle, a great vocalist, a dynamic bass player, a painter, a vegetarian, an animal rights activist and now he is a bona fide Classical composer. ---Brien Comerford

We wrześniu 2006 roku Paul McCartney wydał swój czwarty album z muzyką klasyczną zatytułowany „Ecce Cor Meum” (Oto serce moje).

3 listopada 2006 odbyła się światowa premiera wykonania „Ecce Cor Meum” na żywo, w wyprzedanej do ostatniego miejsca londyńskiej sali koncertowej Royal Albert Hall. Pół roku później, w maju 2007 podczas gali rozdania brytyjskich Classical Brit Awards Paul został nagrodzony statuetką w kategorii „Najlepszy album” za swoją płytę. 4 lutego 2008 niezwykłe premierowe wykonanie dzieła „Ecce Cor Meum” w Royal Albert Hall. Ukończenie albumu „Ecce Cor Meum” zajęło ponad osiem lat, a jego początki wpisują się w wieloletnią tradycję komponowania muzyki na zamówienie światowej sławy uczelni Magdalen College w Oxfordzie.

Paul został osobiście poproszony przez Anthony’ego Smitha (rektora Magdalen College w latach 1998 – 2005) o skomponowanie utworu upamiętniającego otwarcie nowej sali koncertowej akademii. Smith miał na myśli „utwór na chór, który mogłaby śpiewać młodzież na całym świecie tak jak Mesjasza Haendla.”

“W końcu udało mi się stworzyć konsekwentną całość, głównie dzięki poprawieniu wielu błędów. Wiele nauczyłem się przed premierowym wykonaniem utworu w Sheldonian Theatre, a jeszcze więcej po nim. Doświadczony kompozytor muzyki chóralnej wie, że dzieci nie mogą wykonywać długich, pozbawionych przerw pasaży, bowiem nie starcza im energii i wytrzymałości. W pierwszej wersji pojawiło się sporo trudnych partii, z czego nie zdawałem sobie sprawy komponując je na syntezatorze (którego wytrzymałość jest nieskończona!). Jednakże podczas tego pierwszego wykonania oratorium, sopranista nie mógł wyjść na drugą połowę, tak go zmęczyłem pierwszą! Takich rzeczy albo uczysz się na pierwszej lekcji, albo przez lata, więc dobrze się stało, że mogłem trochę popracować nad kompozycją. Ogromną część partii chóru przepisałem na orkiestrę. Gdyby chodziło o piosenkę Beatlesów, to wszystko bym wiedział od razu. Ale „Ecce Cor Meum” to zupełnie inna para kaloszy.”

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01 – Movement 1 Ocean’s Kingdom
02 – Movement 2 Hall Of Dance
03 – Movement 3 Imprisonment
04 – Movement 4 Moonrise

London Classical Orchestra
John Wilson – conductor

Paul announces 'Ocean's Kingdom', his first orchestral score for dance to be released on 3rd/4th October 2011.

Marking his first foray into the word of dance, Paul has announced the general release of 'Ocean's Kingdom', commissioned by the New York City Ballet. The recording will be released by Decca Records on October 3rd (UK) and Hear Music/Telarc on October 4th (US) and is conducted by John Wilson, produced by John Fraser and performed by The London Classical Orchestra.

'Ocean's Kingdom' is the first time Paul has written an original orchestral score or any kind of music for dance and is the result of a collaboration between Paul and New York City Ballet's Master in Chief Peter Martins, who have worked together to present the world premiere of a new ballet for the company's 2011/2012 season this September.

Though the work is Paul's first ballet, he approached the project in the same way he writes all other music, driven by his heart rather than his head and inspired by feeling rather than specific technical knowledge. While this may have been another new turn for his staggeringly varied career to take, Paul knew it had to be influenced by his own personal experience and that he needed to create a story the audience would find equally compelling and moving.

Paul's first step was to visit the Royal Opera House to see Adolphe Adam's 'Giselle', danced by the Royal Ballet. Afterwards, Paul met the dancers and discussed the work with them, realising as he did so that he was still without a central theme to his work. Keen to tell a story through his music, Paul decided to focus on the purity of the ocean and within just two months, the first draft had been completed. He then went through the music again thinking specifically of the ballet itself, thereby creating a world featuring distinctive characters and a vibrant underworld kingdom. Finally Paul spent many more weeks working alongside Peter Martins to refine the work, before Peter created the choreography with the NYCB dancers.

An hour long score featuring four stunning movements – Ocean's Kingdom, Hall of Dance, Imprisonment and Moonrise – the ballet tells of a love story within the story of an underwater world whose people are threatened by the humans of Earth. A potently expressive and richly varied work, the score is Paul's most challenging and emotionally complex yet. As he explains: “What was interesting was writing music that meant something expressively rather than just writing a song. Trying to write something that expressed an emotion – so you have fear, love, anger, sadness to play with and I found that exciting and challenging.”

The premiere of the ballet 'Ocean's Kingdom' will take place at NYCB's Fall Gala on Thursday 22nd September 2011 while the release of the orchestral score will follow a month later, available digitally, on CD and on vinyl. It was recorded in June in London.

The artwork that accompanies the release is equally striking and inventive. Though it seems to suggest a city skyline, it is actually a digital readout of the notes from the ballet score.

Although this is his first orchestral score for dance, Paul is already quite at home in the world of classical music. His back catalogue already carries four classical albums, the most recent of which was the Classical BRIT Award winning 'Ecce Cor Meum (Behold My Heart)'; a work for chorus and orchestra in four movements that was released in 2006. --- beatlesbible.com

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CD1
War

    Andante (Orchestra) – 2:02
    'Non nobis solum' – 2:35
    'The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...' (Shanty) – 2:09
    'Oh Will It All End Here?' (Shanty) – 1:36
    'Mother And Father Holding Their Child' – 1:16

School

    'We're Here In School Today To Get A Perfect Education' – 2:10	play
    'Walk In Single File Out Of The Classroom' (Headmaster) – 1:02
    'Settle Down' – 0:40
    'Kept In Confusion' (Shanty) – 2:35
    'I'll Always Be Here' (Mary Dee) – 1:35
    'Boys, This Is Your Teacher' (Headmaster, Miss Inkley) – 1:23
    'Tres conejos' (Miss Inkley, Headmaster, Shanty) – 1:50
    'Not For Ourselves' (Headmaster, Miss Inkley, Shanty) – 0:55

Crypt

    'And So It Was That I Had Grown' (Shanty) – 0:48
    Dance – 1:44
    'I Used To Come Here When This Place Was A Crypt' (Shanty, Preacher) – 1:58
    'Here Now' (Shanty) – 0:46
    'I'll Always Be Here' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 2:24
    'Now's The Time To Tell Him' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 2:21

Father

    Andante Lamentoso – 2:59
    'O Father, You Have Given...' (Chief Mourner) – 1:05
    '(Ah)' – 1:13
    'Hey, Wait A Minute' (Shanty) – 1:44
    'Father, Father, Father' (Shanty, Chief Mourner) – 4:12

CD2
Wedding

    Andante Amoroso - 'I Know I Should Be Glad Of This' (Shanty, Mary Dee) – 5:42
    'Father, Hear Our Humble Voices' (Preacher) – 1:13
    'Hosanna, Hosanna' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 1:40

Work

    Allegro Energico – 1:20
    'Working Women At The Top' (Mary Dee) – 2:52
    Violin Solo – 5:05
    'Did I Sign The Letter...' (Mary Dee) – 1:34
    Tempo I – 0:30
    'When You Ask A Working Man' (Shanty, Mr. Dingle) – 1:34
    'Let's Find Ourselves A Little Hostelry' (Mr. Dingle) – 2:04		play

Crises

    Allegro Molto – 0:54
    'The World You're Coming Into' (Mary Dee) – 2:28
    Tempo I – 0:45
    'Where's My Dinner?' (Shanty, Mary Dee) – 2:40
    'Let's Not Argue' (Shanty, Mary Dee) – 0:31
    'I'm Not A Slave' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 0:52
    'Right! That's It!' (Mary Dee) – 0:49
    'Stop. Wait.' – 2:03
    'Do You Know Who You Are...' (Nurse) – 3:36
    'Ghosts Of The Past Left Behind' (Nurse, Shanty, Mary Dee) – 3:08
    'Do We Live In A World...' (Mary Dee, Nurse, Shanty) – 3:18

Peace

    'And So It Was That You Were Born' (Shanty) – 1:22
    'God Is Good' – 1:26
    'What People Want Is A Family Life' (Preacher) – 2:17
    'Dad's In The Garden' (Nurse, Mary Dee, Preacher, Shanty) – 3:13
    'So On And On The Story Goes' (Shanty, Mary Dee) – 1:06

Kiri Te Kanawa – soprano
Jerry Hadley – tenor
Sally Burgess – mezzo-soprano
Willard White – bass

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir
Liverpool Cathedral Choiristers
Carl Davis – conductor
Ian Tracey – conductor

Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio is Paul McCartney's first official foray into classical music and was released in 1991. Composed in collaboration with Carl Davis to commemorate The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra's 150th anniversary, the project received a large amount of media attention upon its unveiling in June 1991.

Broken up into eight separate movements, the story of the oratorio loosely follows McCartney's own lifeline, with the main character, Shanty, who is born in 1942 in Liverpool, raised to believe that "being born where you are born carries with it certain responsibilities". After his school days where he often "sagged off" (Liverpool slang for skipping class), Shanty began working and meets his future bride, Mary Dee. Following the death of his father, Shanty and Mary Dee are married and are forced to deal with the rigours of balancing a happy marriage and their careers. Amid a quarrel, Mary Dee reveals that she is pregnant and after surviving a nearly fatal accident, gives birth to their son. Thus, the cycle of life in Liverpool carries on.

This recording was captured at the oratorio's premiere at Liverpool Cathedral with McCartney in attendance and features noted professional classical singers Kiri Te Kanawa, Jerry Hadley, Sally Burgess and Willard White re-enacting the roles in the oratorio.

The commercial reaction for the work, predictably, was strong, with the oratorio spending many weeks atop the classical charts worldwide, and even charting at #177 in regular album chart in the US. Critical reaction was less positive, the virtually unanimous verdict being that the work, while attractive, was simplistic, overlong and, given its aspirations, insubstantial. ---[wiki]

Listening to the United States premiere of Paul McCartney's "Liverpool Oratorio" in Carnegie Hall on Monday night brought back memories of a time a bit over 20 years ago when the hottest rumor in the politically charged youth culture was that "Paul is dead" and his place taken by an impostor. Hidden in recordings, went this conspiratorial notion, were cryptic signs of Paul's demise. On the cover of "Abbey Road," Paul marches barefoot with a cigarette (a "coffin nail"); the jacket to "Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" shows a flower-covered grave; above Paul's head a hand is outstretched (a sign, it was said, of death). Moreover, one Beatles song, "Revolution No. 9," if played backward on a turntable, made reference to a "dead man."

Mr. McCartney, of course, was very much alive and has, in fact, been the most successful survivor of the Beatles' disintegration. But that esoteric search through the Beatles' songs and artwork showed how earnest the public was about this group, how much complexity was felt to lie latent in its music, how profound and how "high" it all was. Some of this feeling seemed still present when Mr. McCartney took his seat in a first-tier box of that high-art temple Carnegie Hall on Monday night. The audience erupted in excitement, and fans on the second and third tiers leaned perilously over the railing. The audience's ovation when the performance concluded seemed partly in celebration, partly in relief that the seriousness always claimed for Mr. McCartney had at last been confirmed on seriousness's home turf.

Of all the Beatles, Mr. McCartney had been most drawn to such ambitions. The classical musical tradition has intrigued him, even influencing, for example, the accompaniments to "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby." Knowing this, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society commissioned this oratorio from a native son in honor of the city's 150th anniversary. Mr. McCartney collaborated with Carl Davis in composing the work, which was unveiled last summer in Liverpool. A recording has been issued with Mr. Davis conducting the commissioning orchestra, and Monday night, a polished American premiere was given by the same players and conductor, with four of the same soloists -- Salley Burgess, mezzo; Jerry Hadley, tenor; Willard White, bass; Jeremy Budd, treble -- and with Barbara Bonney taking the soprano part that Kiri Te Kanawa originally sang. The British choruses were replaced by the Collegiate Chorale and the Boys Choir of Harlem.

But the performance, far from proving the ease with which pop sophistication can segue into classical esthetic realms, demonstrated just the opposite. Mr. McCartney has described his approach to music as "primitive," so Mr. Davis, who is an accomplished writer of film scores, provided the "classical" experience. That is exactly how the oratorio sounded: like a musically primitive assemblage of material, gussied up through some clever scoring. There are echoes of English oratorio and church traditions and the occasional inclusion of a dissonance to signal pain or distress. But the dominant style is of a euphonically tonal pop ballad: the musical texture is very thin, the counterpoint elementary and many settings awkward. The music, often sweet and simple, is incapable of handling contradictory tensions or of expressing intricacy of character.

The story of the oratorio labors under weighty ambitions. It is semi-autobiographical, the story of a boy born in Liverpool in 1942 as the bombs are falling. School days are recalled, with a recurrent anthem-like school motto juxtaposed against another recurring leitmotif that represents the hero's love. There is a scene of teen-age confusion and solitude, a wedding with the woman who inspires the love leitmotif, some evocations of daily life ("Working women on the go,/Will they ever know/What it takes to run the show?"), and a marital crisis in which the pregnant wife runs into the street and is hit by a car. By the end, all is resolved, and even religion is invoked ("God is good without an O" is one expression of new-found faith). ---Edward Rothstein

"Liverpool Oratorio" skomponowane zostało na zamówienie Królewskiego Towarzystwa Filharmonicznego w Liverpoolu (Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society) z okazji 150 -lecia jego istnienia.

Paul McCartney przyznaje: "Najtrudniejsze dla mnie było to, że w przeszłości wielokrotnie próbowałem nauczyć się klasycznego podejścia do muzyki, ale brakowało mi cierpliwości. Za każdym razem nadchodził moment, kiedy znaczki na kartce przestawały zgadzać się z tym, co słyszałem w głowie, i koniec końców tworzyłem muzykę, a ktoś inny ją zapisywał".

"Jestem niezmiernie szczęśliwy, że Królewska Orkiestra Filharmonii w Liverpoolu i dyrygent Carl Davis poprosili mnie o skomponowanie czegoś z okazji jubileuszu Królewskiego Towarzystwa Filharmonicznego. Dzięki temu mam doskonałą wymówkę, żeby po kilku wcześniejszych flirtach na poważnie zagłębić się w świat muzyki symfonicznej i chóralnej".

W tych wyjątkowych nagraniach udział wzięli Kiri Te Kanawa, Sally Burgess, Jerry Hadley, Willard White i Jeremy Budd.

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