Working Classical: Orchestral and Chamber Music by Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney (Composer), Andrea Quinn (Conductor), Lawrence Foster (Conductor), Loma Mar Quartet (Performer), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra)

Product Details

• Performer: Loma Mar Quartet
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Andrea Quinn, Lawrence Foster
• Composer: Paul McCartney
• Audio CD (October 19, 1999)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00001ZSXH
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,659 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Working Classical might just be the perfect outlet for the composing skills of Sir Paul McCartney. Here, the former Beatles (and, let's not forget, Wings) member scales things down from his previous classical-music endeavors--the overweight works Liverpool Oratorio and Standing Stone. In the hands of the Loma Mar Quartet chamber group and the London Symphony Orchestra, McCartney's shorter compositions sound all the more intimate (and effective). Album opener "Junk" is a simple waltz dating from the composer's days with the Fab Four, performed here by the Quartet with short-but-sweet results. "A Leaf" is another waltz motif, this one performed with a full orchestra. McCartney pop favorites "Warm and Beautiful," "Somedays," "She's My Baby," and "The Lovely Linda" all get chamber-music treatments that bring out their compositional beauty. And, while influences seem to range from Janácek to Morricone, there's no doubting that McCartney knows how to write a convincing ditty--pop or otherwise. --Jason Verlinde

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Paul finally gets it right!, December 6, 1999

By	Jim Owen (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

After the hugely disappointing Liverpool Oratorio and moderately disappointing Standing Stone, this is the first McCartney classical CD worth investing in.

Most surprisingly, the best tracks are the three longer orchestral pieces. Tunick's and Bennett's orchestrations of these works are appropriately lush, and the pieces are unabashedly romantic and gorgeous. Like Standing Stone, they sound very much like John Williams film scores, but gone are Standing Stone's self-conscious pretensions of being "modern", as Paul relaxes and revels in what he does best.

The string quartet pieces are less successful, though still nice. The familiar tunes (My Love, Maybe I'm Amazed, Junk) are lovely as ever, but don't add much to the originals, being pretty faithful transcriptions rather than departure points for new music. Most obviously unfinished is his way-too-short setting of the charming "She's My Baby", a wonderful, criminally neglected tune that a quartet arrangement could have (should have) gone to town with. Gershwin's endlessly inventive piano take-offs of his hit tunes come to mind as examples of a composer who took his own hit tunes and did something fresh with them. That said, I was pleased with Paul's choice of tunes to set, though, as they all rank among my favorites of his.

Least successful are his two original quartet pieces, Haymakers and Midwife, the former almost completely devoid of ideas.

All in all, expect charming, tuneful, romantic, occasionally familiar. After the first two classical CD's of McCartney's, I was insisting he give it up and go back to rock music, but happily, I can now start to look forward to more of this shamelessly pretty music!

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have always been a Paul McCartney fan., January 15, 2000

By	Peter Canavan (Jupiter, FL) - See all my reviews

I'll tell you something interesting about this CD. I started listening to it while I worked on my computer. I was familiar with some of the songs in a different form. All of a sudden, I felt very relaxed! I mean, I felt a real sense of relaxation that was significantly different from how I was feeling before! I think these songs are complex, subtle, and I find I like them more the more I listen to them. If you are a McCartney fan, I think you will be pleased and surprised with what you hear on this CD.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine collection of new and slightly used McCartney composito, December 12, 1999

By	[e-mail] - See all my reviews

There's a lot of McCartney's music that is perfectly suited to classical interpretation. What is here of the older material isn't radically different than the originals although still pleasant. The new compositons, particularly A Leaf, Haymakers and Tuesday all show McCartney's growth as a composer.

I didn't feel that Standing Stone was a disappointment (nor Liverpool Ortario). They were just departures to new destinations for McCartney. While the promise at these destinations weren't completely fulfilled, they had their moments.

This is a fine display for McCartney's writing skills and well worth the investment.