Paul McCartney composes for NYC Ballet
Written by admin on February 23, 2011 – 8:34 pm - |
Paul McCartney has written a major orchestral work for the New York City Ballet.
“Ocean’s Kingdom” will premiere at the company’s fall gala on September 22, with other performances on dates to be announced next season. Composer, John Wilson, is helping with the final orchestration and City Ballet’s ballet master in chief, Peter Martins, will create the choreography. |
The idea came about when McCartney and Martins met at a fundraiser for the School of American Ballet a year ago. Martins suggested that the pair work together, so McCartney began reading about dance and attending ballet performances. He told the New York Times:
| “For me the sheer athleticism is the most astounding thing about what I’m seeing. It’s like a meeting of the Olympic Games and art, and I find that fascinating and challenging for me, to see what can be done.” |
When questioned about some of the less favourable reviews of his previous classical work, McCartney said:
| “They didn’t like ‘She Loves You,’ either. You’ve just got to read any orchestral reviews or reviews of any art, and there’s an awful lot of stuff the critics don’t like. If it did worry me, I would give it up all together.” |
Commenting on his decision to work with McCartney, Martins said:
| “One is always hoping that this might bring in a whole new audience, but that’s not why one does it. We commission from everybody. We have some of the most esteemed classical composers having been commissioned by us. There’s nothing wrong with a slightly different direction, with somebody who is very serious about composing.” |
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Ocean’s Kingdom (CD) |
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Ocean’s Kingdom – vinyl (2 LPs) |
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Tags: New York City Ballet, Ocean's Kingdom, Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney's Ocean Kingdom
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