| Ecce Cor Meum | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 25 September 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 13–17 March 2006 | |||
| Studio | Abbey Road, London | |||
| Genre | Classical,carol,hymn | |||
| Length | 56:50 | |||
| Language | English,Latin | |||
| Label | EMI Classics | |||
| Producer | John Fraser | |||
| Paul McCartney chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | [3] |
Ecce Cor Meum (Latin forBehold My Heart) is the fourth classical album byPaul McCartney. The album was released on 25 September 2006 byEMI Classics. Anoratorio in four movements, it is produced by John Fraser, written inLatin and English, and scored for orchestra and boys and adultchoir. The oratorio was partly inspired by McCartney's wifeLinda.[4] It is also the only classical album by McCartney that was not released on vinyl.
The title was inspired by the inscription McCartney noticed above a statue of Jesus in theChurch of St. Ignatius Loyola, New York City.[5] The reference in the church context is to theSacred Heart of Jesus, although McCartney freely adapted the text for use in his composition. Upon Sir Paul'sgrant of arms, he adopted "ECCE COR MEUM" as his motto.[6]
Ecce Cor Meum had been more than eight years in the making and its origins follow in the tradition of composers commissioned to write music forMagdalen College, Oxford. McCartney was invited byAnthony Smith (president of Magdalen College 1998–2005) to compose something to set the seal on a new concert hall for the college.
The composition was delayed by the death ofLinda, McCartney's wife,[7] and could not be used for the opening of the new auditorium (which was celebrated instead by a premiere ofTony Harrison's verse film,Prometheus). The project did not die: with encouragement from the thenOxford University Music Society president and perseverance by the college itself, the work was finished and eventually performed in theSheldonian Theatre, Oxford, in November 2001. The interlude is an elegy to Linda.[7]
Originally, it was presented in 2001 with the full Choir of Magdalen College, Oxford, conducted byBill Ives, in theSheldonian Theatre,Oxford. McCartney expressed in the programme his hope "that this piece will carry the name of Magdalen to all parts of the globe and help to make people aware of the noble institution that it is".
Produced by John Fraser,Ecce Cor Meum was recorded atAbbey Road Studios between 13 and 17 March 2006.[8] It was performed by sopranoKate Royal, the boys ofMagdalen College Choir, Oxford, the boys of theChoir of King's College, Cambridge,London Voices and theAcademy of St Martin in the Fields, conducted byGavin Greenaway.
Its American première was 14 November 2006 at a sold-outCarnegie Hall in New York City. Scored for choir and orchestra, the Orchestra of St. Luke's under Greenaway joined the Concert Chorale of New York and the American Boychoir, with sopranoKate Royal andAndrew Staples as soloists. The concert was simulcast overWNYC-FM, New York Public Radio and webcast over wnyc.org.
The Canadian première took place on 27 October 2007 atMetropolitan United Church inLondon, Ontario.[9] Conducted by Toronto conductor Robert Cooper, it was performed by the combined forces of the Orpheus Choir of Toronto, Chorus Niagara, London Pro Musica, the Amabile Treble Choir and Orchestra London.[10]
On 3 May 2007, Paul McCartney was presented with the Best Album Award at theClassical Brits forEcce Cor Meum, at theRoyal Albert Hall. The award was voted for by readers ofClassic FM magazine and listeners ofClassic FM. The album reached number 2 in the Top Classical Albums charts from the US.[4]
All pieces byPaul McCartney.
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 25 September 2006 | EMI Classics | CD (limited edition) | 3704232 / 0946 3 70423 2 8 |
| CD | 3704242 / 0946 3 70424 2 7 | |||
| United States | 26 September 2006 | Angel Records, EMI Classics | CD | 0946 3 70424 2 7 |
| 17 October 2006 | CD (limited edition) | 0946 3 70423 2 8 | ||
| Japan | 29 September 2006 | Toshiba-EMI | CD | TOCP70099 |
