Sir Paul doesn’t deserve his Brit

McCartney has won an award for a horrible piece of music, says
A S H SMYTH, who has sung in it

When Classic FM was recently named Sony's UK radio Station of the Year, I was delighted. I'm a big fan. But last night's Classical Brits Album of the Year award highlights everything that's wrong with their way of bringing 'classical' music to the masses.

The highly-publicised award went to Sir Paul McCartney, for his secular oratorio Ecce Cor Meum. Though substantially re-written since its coolly-received premier in 2001 (the official story is that the revision was shelved for the duration of Sir Paul's second marriage), this is still not an award-winning piece of music. In any regard.

The piece is an aggrandised A-level composition, bolstered by significant expenditure on orchestra and singers. The prep-school Latin text, conflicting with its own translation, hops around the parts like watered-down Arvo Part, underwhelmed by cod-spiritual soupy melodies. The trebles (essential to the granny market) sounded like they had hiccups, and the basses had to keep wiping their mouths because you can only sing 'aaahhh-ah-ah' for so long before you get lockjaw and start dribbling.

The problem is not simply that a bad piece won, however, but that over the years the Classic FM audience has been encouraged to believe that there's only one criterion of quality which really counts: star power. McCartney's competition? An easy-on-the-eye 'opera star' who's never been in an opera (Katharine Jenkins); a former rock-star turned ropey lutenist (Sting); and a genuine classical musician who's spent so long peddling cheesy 'favourites' that it's hard to take him seriously (Bryn Terfel).

Star power has always been a concern in the classical industry; but back in the days of Karajan and Du Pre, they were stars with training and talent. Proclaiming Ecce Cor Meum as the best album of the year is like naming your grandpa as FIFA Player of the Year, just because he's a decent old codger.
First Post: MAY 4, 2007

NOW, maybe my wife will believe me when I say that McCartney's music is rubbish (c:=