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12.32am
8 November 2012
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I just borrowed a few of Paul’s classical albums from the library today. I’ve never heard them. Anyone here familiar with them and can recommend any in particular?
parlance
11.17am
1 November 2012
Offline Didn’t know Paul had done any classical music (except for that very boring Liverpool orchestra thing).
On a slightly off-topic note: I always thought Paul in his prime (anytime throughout the 70s and 80s) would have been the perfect person to play Mozart in a movie (better than that actor Tom Hulce who played the part in the 1984 film Amadeus.) Though Paul isn’t anywhere near the musical genius Mozart was, Paul seems to have a glint of that type of genius and personality I associate with Mozart.
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12.18pm
27 December 2012
Offline Paul wrote a score for an opera piece I think, that’s as classical as it gets.
2.16pm
5 November 2011
Offline Paul has like five classical albums.
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2.36pm
26 March 2012
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Funny Paper said
Didn’t know Paul had done any classical music (except for that very boring Liverpool orchestra thing).On a slightly off-topic note: I always thought Paul in his prime (anytime throughout the 70s and 80s) would have been the perfect person to play Mozart in a movie (better than that actor Tom Hulce who played the part in the 1984 film Amadeus.) Though Paul isn’t anywhere near the musical genius Mozart was, Paul seems to have a glint of that type of genius and personality I associate with Mozart.
Except for the minor problem that Paul is an incredibly bad actor, and the Amadeus portrayal of Mozart was loyal to historical accounts of what Mozart was like (I certainly can’t imagine Paul pulling off the fey, childlike, incestuously-inclined composer in any convincing manner). It doesn’t seem to make much sense to have one person portray another on screen for the sole reason that they are both musically talented.
Anyway, to return to the topic, I don’t much like Paul’s classical work. The version of “Junk” on Working Classical is very beautiful, and I’ve got to commend him for trying, but the original pieces he’s penned are pretty anodyne without his knack for pop-based arrangement and excellent vocal hooks.
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4.54pm
8 November 2012
Offline Ben Ramon said:
Except for the minor problem that Paul is an incredibly bad actor, and the Amadeus portrayal of Mozart was loyal to historical accounts of what Mozart was like (I certainly can’t imagine Paul pulling off the fey, childlike, incestuously-inclined composer in any convincing manner). It doesn’t seem to make much sense to have one person portray another on screen for the sole reason that they are both musically talented.
You beat me to it, Ben (not to mention that Tom Hulce was extraordinary).
Back to the topic at hand, here’s the list from Wikipedia:
1991 Paul McCartney ‘s Liverpool Oratorio
1997 Standing Stone
1999 Working Classical
2000 A Garland for Linda
2006 Ecce Cor Meum
2011 Ocean’s Kingdom
I haven’t heard all of Liverpool Oratorio , but I very much liked what I heard from the documentary posted on YouTube. I don’t think it’s boring at all, especially if you know the stories behind the pieces.
The three I borrowed yesterday are Standing Stone , Working Classical and Ocean’s Kingdom . I’m not loving Standing Stone , but I’m going to give it another try or two. So far, Ocean’s Kingdom is gorgeous, and I hope I can see a performance of it in person someday.
My favorite of the three is definitely Working Classical . I also tend to like the String Quartet renditions of pop/rock music more than most, so it feels familiar to me. I especially love Junk, Maybe I’m Amazed and Somedays.
parlance
7.23pm
1 November 2012
Offline Gerell said
Paul wrote a score for an opera piece I think, that’s as classical as it gets.
Yeah, that’s the one I was referring to. It was called “Liverpool Oratorio ” (1991). While I don’t like the music (kind of bleh ordinary classical with a full symphony orchestra and choir), I did see a television special that showed him in the process of writing it, collaborating with a classical conductor. They filmed Paul going around visiting the choir, sitting in a room watching a violin virtuoso, sitting at the piano with the conductor trying to work out chords, and at one point riding a bus around Liverpool, pointing out landmarks of his childhood. That was very interesting.
I see from Wikipedia that Paul has done other classical pieces in addition (I’ve not only never heard these, I’ve never heard OF them):
- Standing Stone (1997)
- Working Classical (1999)
- A Garland for Linda (2000)
(Various Artists) - Ecce Cor Meum (2006)
- Ocean’s Kingdom (2011)
(dance score with Peter Martins)
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9.23pm
8 November 2012
Offline Funny Paper said
I did see a television special that showed him in the process of writing it, collaborating with a classical conductor. They filmed Paul going around visiting the choir, sitting in a room watching a violin virtuoso, sitting at the piano with the conductor trying to work out chords, and at one point riding a bus around Liverpool, pointing out landmarks of his childhood. That was very interesting.
This is the link I posted just above you.
parlance
10.47pm
1 November 2012
Offline Great, thanks parlance.
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6.44pm
8 November 2012
Offline I borrowed Ecce Cor Meum . So far out of all the classical works I’ve heard, it’s possibly the most conventional-sounding, but I think I like this one the best. I love choral music anyway, and this one is very soothing, tranquil. And I love that it was inspired by Linda – “Behold My Heart.”
parlance
5.27am
8 November 2012
Offline I listened to Ecce Cor Meum a couple more times today. I don’t know where I got “tranquil” from, as the first, fourth and fifth movements are pretty dramatic. But then again, I was doing homework while listening the first time. I do still find it soothing nonetheless, and it’s clear Paul’s come a long away from his earlier forays into classical music. And the production features some of the most beautiful, purest soprano voices I’ve heard in a long time. When you’re Paul, you can certainly command the best. I need to get my own copy for certain.
parlance
6.14am
14 January 2013
Offline I listened to some of Ocean’s Kingdom and liked it.
6.30am
Reviewers
29 August 2013
Offline I kind of enjoyed “Liverpool Oratorio ” when I bought it shortly after release – I haven’t listened to it in a while though.
I just received “Standing Stone ” from an ebay purchase for around A$8 delivered, which is a great price. I’ll add my thoughts when I get round to it, should be early December as I have so much to listen to beforehand 
I WILL note that it has a seriously impressive booklet!
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1.10pm
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20 August 2013
Offline trcanberra said
I WILL note that it has a seriously impressive booklet!
Funny you should mention the booklet. When I got my copy, after listening to the cd the first time, I knew I had to get my supervisor to listen to it. She loved it, and she raved on about the booklet too.
No. Wait . Scratch that. It was the Ecce Cor Meum she was impressed with. I need to loan Standing Stone to her now.
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9.20pm
Reviewers
Moderators
1 May 2011
Offline I just got Ocean’s Kingdom to eventually listen to, tho it won’t be for a while until i hear it. Am looking to get the other 4 eventually. Not heard anything of any of them so an unknown, uncharted acre of Paul’s land to walk thru some time.
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9.25pm
Reviewers
1 November 2013
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Funny Paper said
Didn’t know Paul had done any classical music (except for that very boring Liverpool orchestra thing).On a slightly off-topic note: I always thought Paul in his prime (anytime throughout the 70s and 80s) would have been the perfect person to play Mozart in a movie (better than that actor Tom Hulce who played the part in the 1984 film Amadeus.) Though Paul isn’t anywhere near the musical genius Mozart was, Paul seems to have a glint of that type of genius and personality I associate with Mozart.
Honestly, (now that I’m responding to posts from a year ago) I think Paul is the only person who comes close to Mozart and Beethoven in terms of musical minds. Those are easily the top 3 musical minds ever, in my opinion
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11.51am
7 February 2014
Offline IveJustSeenAFaceo said
Funny Paper said
Didn’t know Paul had done any classical music (except for that very boring Liverpool orchestra thing).On a slightly off-topic note: I always thought Paul in his prime (anytime throughout the 70s and 80s) would have been the perfect person to play Mozart in a movie (better than that actor Tom Hulce who played the part in the 1984 film Amadeus.) Though Paul isn’t anywhere near the musical genius Mozart was, Paul seems to have a glint of that type of genius and personality I associate with Mozart.
Honestly, (now that I’m responding to posts from a year ago) I think Paul is the only person who comes close to Mozart and Beethoven in terms of musical minds. Those are easily the top 3 musical minds ever, in my opinion
This is a bit of a sweeping statement isn’t it? When you talk about music you are covering a very wide field.
Paul is a terrific musician and IMHO the greatest melodist in postwar pop music but would he be able to play the piano like Art Tatum? Would he be able to compose an orchestral piece as good as Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue? Would he be able to play the guitar like Hendrix?
Also what about non-Western music? Personally, I am not familiar with world music and must admit I am ignorant on the subject but surely genius mustn’t be confined purely to the Western tradition. There must have been musicians in Africa or China that are more or less as good in their own way as those mentioned so I think it’s impossible to say who are the top 3 out of all music, let alone do so easily.
8.10am
1 November 2012
Offline I noticed an interesting thing not too long ago. When I went to the itunes store to sample a few of Paul’s classical works on a certain album (Working Classical ), I found that the only one I really liked a lot, “Tuesday”, was unavailable to purchase singly — all the others one could purchase singly. I can’t help suspecting that this was deliberate, knowing that most listeners might want to buy only “Tuesday”, and thus forcing them to buy the whole album in order to get it…
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1.26pm
17 October 2013
Offline I went to the London premiers of Liverpool Oratorio and Standing stones……….
I love, ‘The World you’re coming Into’ a couple of minutes of music as good as anything Paul or anyone has ever written…also the Violin solo. Both projects are listenable and have their highlights but I must admit I don’t often give them my time.
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