Ecce Cor Meum
Studio - Paul McCartney / EMI Classics / 25 Sep 2006
Disc 1
Album Notes |
Ecce Cor Meum - an Oratorio in four movements and scored for choir and orchestra - was Paul McCartney's fourth classical album and was released in September 2006. The album was more than eight years in the making and its origins follow in the historic tradition of composers that have been commissioned to write music for the world-renowned Magdalen College, Oxford. Paul was specially invited by Anthony Smith (President of Magdalen College 1998 – 2005) to compose a piece to commemorate the opening of a new concert hall at the college. Following Linda's death in 1998, however, the performance was delayed, eventually premiering in 2001, with a studio recording taking place in 2006. Each of its four movements begins with unaccompanied voices, and the text combines both English and to a lesser degree, Latin. As Paul explained, "Something I found out later, being a complete innocent in the field, was that most people find a text and set it to music, which it would have been very convenient to know that, but I didn't. So I started writing the music and then putting my own text to it, which is probably completely the wrong way around to do it. It didn't matter. I suppose, you know, in that respect, it meant that it was a bit less conventional."
Kate Royal: Soprano |
RELATED TEXT AND MEDIA
'Ecce Cor Meum' poster, Kate Royal and Paul, 2006
Did you know?
Ecce Cor Meum, Latin for Behold My Heart, reached no 2 in the classical album charts in the US and won Best Album at the Classical Brits.
'Ecce Cor Meum' advert, 2006
In-lay from 'Ecce Cor Meum', explains the origins of the album, 2006
Paul thanks the audience at the 'Ecce Cor Meum' London premiere, Royal Albert Hall, 2006
The choir performing 'Ecce Cor Meum', Royal Albert Hall, London, 2006
Taking a moment during recording sessions of 'Ecce Cor Meum', 2006
The London premiere of 'Ecce Cor Meum', Royal Albert Hall, 2006