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Sir Paul's Liverpool: A Review

e0007319 | Ohio | 05/31/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Over the years, Beatles tunes have been transcribed for just about every musical arrangement imagineable, but the solo music of Paul McCartney has not enjoyed as wide a palate. Interestingly, the Beatle who is best known today for his timeless and universal melodies is not particularly well-represented through classical arrangements of his solo output. The recently released "Working Classical" is a good example of how McCartney's special gift for creating classic melodies spans many different forums. The album under consideration here is yet another.Produced by the Canadian ATMA label, "Sir Paul's Liverpool" is a collection of works by Paul McCartney as performed by a flute quartet -- on the face of it, a somewhat unlikely forum to represent the music, perhaps. But take some insuppressable melodies, treat them to some first-rate arrangements, release them to an accomplished and sensitive group of performers, and the result is predictably wonderful.The collection begins with a suite called "Love In The Open Air," a three-movement work which uses fragments taken from the film score music to "The Family Way." Based on music McCartney wrote in 1966, his first truly solo composing endeavor, the film score music itself consists of short, elusive fragments that are used primarily to support the ambiance of the film. Here arranger Anthony Rozankovic gives a thoughtful and well-developed treatment to the Samba, Waltz and Rondeau movements. The suite, about ten minutes in length, runs a little less than half the duration of the entire film score output, but gives a good representation of the main themes without too much repetition. Next comes a longer, more involved arrangement of themes taken from McCartney's first classical composition, The Liverpool Oratorio, with an arrangement by Chantal Hébert. Hébert is the founder of the ensemble, La Flûte Enchantée, and one of its performers. Possibly because she herself is a flutist, I find this to be the most effective arrangement on the disc. Here, even the choice of melodies shows an intuitive selection process that represents the larger work very well. Hébert seems to have chosen the most workable themes from the Oratorio, and they are: War; School; Mary Dee & Shanty; Spanish Lesson; Father; Crypt; Wedding; Mr Dingle; Lullaby, and March. From the poignancy of Mary Dee and Shanty's themes to the playful little scherzo called "Spanish Lesson," there is cohesion to the ensemble, but also an unflagging freshness about the work. One senses immediately that the music is very much at home in this arrangement. It's obvious some very careful attention has been giving to voicing, phrasing and doubling to get the most satisfying sound possible from this group, which at times sounds nothing short of symphonic. These musicians have been playing together for quite a while, it seems. They feel their way together very well indeed, and their tuning is excellent.To my mind this is one of the most effective classical arrangements of vocal music I think I've ever heard. To begin with, there is not a trace of forced syncopation in the rhythmic structure, which can really destroy the classical feel of an arrangement. In the Liverpool Oratorio, there are many examples of recitative-like passages. McCartney is very good at using colloquial speech patterns for his rhythmic models, but for instrumental writing, this doesn't always work. Here the arrangers manage to smooth out the natural syncopations for instrumental performance without affecting the integrity of the original composition. I really didn't think it was possible to do this with Oratorio, simply because there is so much rhythm in that piece that relies on the natural pattern of speech, but it's done very successfully in this music. It's just one reason I think I like this album so much. Also on the album is a four-flute arrangement of A Leaf, written originally by McCartney for solo piano, but arranged here by Robert Lafond; and finally Distractions, from the McCartney album Flowers in the Dirt, the arrangement done once again by Mr Rozankovic. Both measure up superbly to the professionalism and the aesthetic excellence of the disc.All in all I would rate this as a superb album with virtually no weak spots. Unlike so many cross-over albums that make an unsuccessful attempt to draw in both popular and classic audiences, this will satisfy both."

Lovely flute music

Jmark2001 | Florida | 07/12/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I love McCartney's piece "A Leaf". Originally written for piano, it was given a beautiful orchestral arrangement for the album, "Working Classical". Here, it is performed by a flute quartet. A fine album."