SIR Paul McCartney acknowledged the standing ovation for the Liverpool Cathedral concert of his classical music with a quip: “This is the moment I have to pinch myself,” he told the 1,500-strong capacity audience. “That’s because I used to arrive here on the 86 bus from Speke.” The ex-Beatle then repeated the joke made in his exclusive ECHO interview on Wednesday: “I auditioned for the choir. They turned me down . . . but I am not bitter. “This is my revenge.” Sir Paul, sitting with members of his family, attended last night’s northern premiere of his choral work, Ecce Cor Meum (Behold My Heart) dedicated to his first wife, Linda. He sat near the front, in the fourth row, for the performance by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir and the cathedral choristers. At the end of the 55-minute work, acknowledging five minutes of applause, Sir Paul was clearly moved, both by the occasion and by the setting. He applauded the audience and artists, but then looked up to acknowledge the splendour of the cathedral he had first known as a pupil of the nearby Liverpool Institute, now the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts of which he is lead patron. Sir Paul then took the microphone and briefly addressed the audience and musicians: “I would like to thank everyone for their hard work, the brilliant orchestra and choirs.” And he added in what was clearly a very personal message: “I would also like to thank my dad and mum for having me in Liverpool. “I owe this city so much – particularly this year.” Sir Paul returns to Liverpool on June 1 to headline the Liverpool Sound concert at Anfield stadium. But last night, he was relaxed and in the audience for his four-movement oratorio, which uses an English and Latin text and was first performed in 200l, after being commissioned for the choir of Magdalene College, Oxford. It was only the third time Sir Paul had heard the CD-award winning work live, the previous times being in London and New York. The Liverpool performance was in aid of the cathedral’s centenary appeal. A note by Sir Paul in the programme confirmed the spiritual intent of the music. He wrote that after being involved in a road accident with The Beatles during a blizzard when their van skidded off the motorway, the experience shaped his life’s philosophy – “the faith in a benevolent spirit that, I hope, lives in the words and music of Ecce Cor Meum.” news@liverpoolecho.co.uk | 
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