Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio
| Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio | |||||
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| Live album by Paul McCartney & Carl Davis | |||||
| Released | 7 October 1991 (UK) 22 October 1991 (US) |
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| Recorded | 28–29 June 1991 | ||||
| Genre | Classical | ||||
| Length | 1:37:28 | ||||
| Label | EMI Classics | ||||
| Producer | John Fraser | ||||
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| Paul McCartney classical album chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio | |||||
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| MusicHound | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
Paul McCartney's Liverpool Oratorio is a live album by Paul McCartney released in 1991 and his first major foray into classical music. Composed in collaboration with Carl 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.
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. The recording was engineered by John Timperley.
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 in Liverpool, 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.
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.
All pieces by Paul McCartney & Carl Davis. The first four movements are on CD disc one, the second four on CD disc two.
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