Customer Reviews

Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I'll admit that I dislike opera, and the only reason I was exposed to this work was because it was McCartney (and also, I suppose, because I love classical music). There are certain elements that are common to all good music, no matter what genre;one such is melody. McCartney has built a career on intoxicating tunes, and he doesn't stop here. I've listened to classical music for a long time, and these are some of the best melodies I've ever heard. McCartney doesn't seem too worried with "Oh, this is Classical, and my my, I mustn't disturb the English caste system of 'how things are supposed to be'". He basically just does what he does best, only he puts it into a classical context. I'm somewhat surprised he pulled it off so well for a first-timer, but then again, McCartney's works from very early on suggest an uncommon ability to write well in a multitude of styles. More so than John Lennon, he seems to be able to step outside himself and indulge in whatever role is needed to write a great song. If Lennon and McCartney had been actors and not Beatles, Lennon would have been a Sean Penn or Alan Alda or Gary Cooper-type, playing basically an extension of himself, but playing it passionately, and playing it very well. McCartney would've been more like Dustin Hoffman or Meryl Streep, with a broad range, amazingly different in every role.
McCartney's sophomore effort, "Standing Stone," was one I found very uninteresting. The next one, "Working Classical," is outstanding.
That stated, I find the first CD (the Oratorio is 2 discs) to be five-star, and the second to drag somewhat, about a 3 1/2. So let's call it a four or 4 1/2.

Best to look at this now in hindsight. This is where McCartney began his Classical Music career - one can point to The Family Way soundtrack, the Eleanor's Dream score based on Eleanor Rigby's string accompaniment which is on Give My Regards To Broad Street, but this is where it begins in earnest. If you've heard the more realized works that followed (Standing Stone, the pieces on Working Classical or the work on Garlands for Linda), you will better appreciate this full length concert work in its proper context. It is not pop music. And it is not fully realized classical either, but it has its moments which are brilliant. Lyrically, it is comical at times and you have to wonder (aside from the Spanish Lesson) how much Sir Paul might have found "funny" at the time, especially hearing august operatic voices singing them. Melodically, phrases will stay with you long after the recording is over. There is some beautiful music here if you will give it a chance. If you are only interested in giving McCartney's classical writing an ear, try starting with Standing Stone or Working Classical (which includes quartet arrangements of many familiar songs).

This man's been playing Silly Love Songs ever since the contrast between that and the late John Lennon's pre-punk ethos formed the nucleus of the Beatles. But you have to remember that the main reason this freshman effort at symphonic music reached the mass market at all was because McCartney had made his mark many years ago. Already being famous helps, believe me. The arrangements are courtesy of Sir Paul laying out the basic threads using MIDI computer sequencing, at which point an arranger steps in and transcribes the result into real orchestral parts. And the libretto here are more than just a tad weak. One scene deals with a quarrel between Our Hero and his newly-pregnant wife. He makes that one statement in such situations that one regrets as soon as he says it, and gets this response;

Wife: "Right!"
(dramatic rchestral hit)
Wife: "I'm off!"
(repeat of same chord)
Wife: (spoken) "And by the way, you're going to be a father."

And she promptly storms out into the street and gets hit by a car. Oh buh-rother! Unless I miss my guess, operatic work is not McCartney's long suit. Aparently that occurred to him as well, because his followup work is "The Standing Stones", a much stronger work that is instrumental. If you're a follower of Paul as "the cute one" of the Beatles, both of these works will be but pieces in a collection. If you're curious about Sir Paul's musical visions, you're better off with the later work.

I have sung this work as part of a performance (parts of it) and it is an interesting piece indeed. While the melodic lines and musical styles may not be extremely innovative, they are nevertheless charming. The choral backdrop is also highly appropriate to the subject matter and while I am biased, the use of different vocal ranges, for example the boys' choir, really adds to the piece. For fans of McCartney, this is a wonderful buy. It gives listeners a chance to a different side of McCartney's talent.

I will always remember the day I watched the premiere of Sir Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio on PBS. Of course I was a Beatle fan since the early '60s, indeed I followed Paul's career long after The Beatles' split. But one of the greatest joy was to witness this natural artistic evolution. Having myself followed the intricaties of pop music from the early Beatles to Tyrannosaurus Rex and Police, from Jimi Hendrix to Amazing Blondel and Steely Dan, from Cream to Bob Dylan and Sarah McClauhclan, from Tim Buckley to Frank Zappa and Manhattan Transfer, and the list goes on and on... one only wishes to take rest after 30 years of music exploration. What more soothing than getting back to a little classical music. And suddenly realizing that your very first idol does the same, goes even further and compose an oratorio starring Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, Jerry Hadley, Sally Burgess and Willard White with the help of conductor and composer Carl Davis. And all through this most impressive work the music breathes with freshness and wonderful melodies without neglecting the orchestra and choirs' possibilities. Pop or 'classical', Sir Paul McCartney is certainly one of 20th Century's most prominent composers. "Not for ourselves, but for the whole world were we born. And we were born in Liverpool..." Paul McCartney

Is there any music form that Paul McCartney indulges in that doesn't turn out great? After listening to this beautiful work of art I'm beginning to think the answer to that question is a resounding NO!! This is not a rock/pop album, but rather a masterful work for orchestra, choirs & soloists. First of all, instrumentally this oratorio is every bit as good as a lot of music composed by the "great" orchestral composers, you know, Bach, Beethoven, Handel and so forth. Secondly, the lyrics(libretto)make up a beautiful, life-affirming and joyous story. For those of you who know of Paul McCartney only as a Rock star, I heartily recommend giving this music a try: it is still Paul McCartney after all!! And for classical music fans the same is true, he is certainly much more than a Rock musician!!

I've many favourite oratorios by Handel, also a handful by other composers, and they tend to have a much heavier feel being based on serious Biblical text and they can be quite an undertaking to listen to. Paul's Liverpool Oratorio however focuses on modern, every day life and manages to brilliantly mix our daily joys, sorrows and troubles with a powerful message of how our faith in Love carries us through it all. The story takes us from childhood through mature adulthood, and all the basic stages of life most of us experience as we go from being kids to busy adults. The pace is pretty brisk, moves right along never getting bogged down with repetition and how beautifully the story has been woven together leaving one feeling bright, cheerful & ready to face the day.

Truly a magnificent work of music that is a joy to listen to. Give it a spin and hear for yourself :-)

Enjoy & God bless!

I purchased this Oratorio after hearing a violin solo from it, and was expecting something similar of the rest. I was sorely disappointed. Unfortunately, I got this item somewhere else, to my Eternal grief (at least on AMAZON, I would have saved $25.00). All the soloists do as best they can with the material given (especially the violin solo in Movement VI), but the lyrics could have been written by a fifth-grader with a Rhyming Dictionary. Here is an example of great talent gone to waste. BE FOREWARNED: just because Paul McCartney's name is attached to this vanity work of supposedly "serious" music, does NOT make this a good piece of music. Carl Davis has written many wonderful scores for movies, and Paul McCartney can stand on his own past record of good works, but this is so trite, silly, and appallingly bad that I wish I was able to give it minus five stars. Beware!

But of course that shouldn't be surprising coming from the man who breathes melody. I bought this when it first came out in 1991 and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. I still listen to it every so often. The orchestra delivers a stong performance, the singing is wonderful (especially the 4 soloists and the children's choir) and the melodies stay with you long after the CD ends. McCartney truly is the greatest composer of the last 50 years.

This is ok stuff. Very soothing and easy going stuff, may be an initiation for those new to choral works. The music is too simple, you can make out it's by Paul. The complete school section is good. Basically it has some 5 sections, each depicting a period of pauls life. It feels more like paul wrote a few pop ballads and then he extended it for an oratoria. Not bad, but you dont need to include it in you collection, unless you want very much to see what Paul sounds like in the classical vein

Nothing in this really soars. The piece should actually be called "Paul McCartney's and Carl Davis' Liverpool Oratorio" since Carl Davis had as much to do with it as McCartney did. And Davis complained as such, but said "McCartney's ego" made the piece just his in the title. It makes commercial sense, but was bad manners. And I heard a d.j. on a classical radio station say that the CD should have been called "Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio Banalate," and he has a point. It's a bland piece in a lot of spots. But there are some good moments, too.