Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio

Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio is Paul McCartney's first major foray into classical music and was released in 1991. Composed in collaboration withCarl 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.

Contents

 [hide] *1 Recording

• 2 Music and story
• 3 Reception
• 4 Track listing
  • 4.1 Disc one
  • 4.2 Disc two
• 5 Personnel
• 6 References

Recording

This recording was captured at the oratorio's dress rehearsal and 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.

Music and story

Consisting of eight movements, the story of the oratorio loosely follows McCartney's own lifeline, with the main character, Shanty, who is born in 1942 inLiverpool, 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.

Reception

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The commercial reaction for the work was strong, with the oratorio spending many weeks atop the classical charts worldwide, and even charting at number 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.

Track listing

All pieces by Paul McCartney and Carl Davis. The first four movements are on CD disc one, the second four on CD disc two.

Disc one

Side one – War

1. Andante (Orchestra) – 2:02
2. 'Non Nobis Solum' – 2:35
3. 'The Air Raid Siren Slices Through...' (Shanty) – 2:09
4. 'Oh Will It All End Here?' (Shanty) – 1:36
5. 'Mother and Father Holding Their Child' – 1:16

School

1. 'We're Here in School Today to Get a Perfect Education' – 2:10
2. 'Walk in Single File Out of the Classroom' (Headmaster) – 1:02
3. 'Settle Down' – 0:40
4. 'Kept in Confusion' (Shanty) – 2:35
5. 'I'll Always Be Here' (Mary Dee) – 1:35
6. 'Boys, This Is Your Teacher' (Headmaster, Miss Inkley) – 1:23
7. 'Tres Conejos' (Miss Inkley, Headmaster, Shanty) – 1:50
8. 'Not for Ourselves' (Headmaster, Miss Inkley, Shanty) – 0:55

Side two – Crypt

1. 'And So It Was That I Had Grown' (Shanty) – 0:48
2. Dance – 1:44
3. 'I Used to Come Here When This Place Was a Crypt' (Shanty, Preacher) – 1:58
4. 'Here Now' (Shanty) – 0:46
5. 'I'll Always Be Here' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 2:24
6. 'Now's the Time to Tell Him' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 2:21

Father

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

Disc two

Side three – Wedding

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

Work

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

Side four – Crises

1. Allegro Molto – 0:54
2. 'The World You're Coming Into' (Mary Dee) – 2:28
3. Tempo I – 0:45
4. 'Where's My Dinner?' (Shanty, Mary Dee) – 2:40
5. 'Let's Not Argue' (Shanty, Mary Dee) – 0:31
6. 'I'm Not a Slave' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 0:52
7. 'Right! That's It!' (Mary Dee) – 0:49
8. 'Stop. Wait.' – 2:03
9. 'Do You Know Who You Are...' (Nurse) – 3:36
10. 'Ghosts of the Past Left Behind' (Nurse, Shanty, Mary Dee) – 3:08
11. 'Do We Live in a World...' (Mary Dee, Nurse, Shanty) – 3:18

Peace

1. 'And So It Was That You Were Born' (Shanty) – 1:22
2. 'God Is Good' – 1:26
3. 'What People Want Is a Family Life' (Preacher) – 2:17
4. 'Dad's in the Garden' (Nurse, Mary Dee, Preachey Dee) – 3:13
5. 'So on and on the Story Goes' (Mary Dee, Shanty) – 1:06

Personnel

• Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra – orchestra
• Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir – chorus
• Liverpool Cathedral Choiristers – chorus
• Carl Davis – conductor
• Ian Tracey – conductor
• Kiri Te Kanawa – soprano
• Jerry Hadley – tenor
• Sally Burgess – mezzo-soprano
• Willard White – bass