[pullquote quote="You have fear, love, anger, sadness to play with and I found that exciting and challenging." credit="Paul McCartney"]When you’ve held court at the very top of the music world for almost half a century, what’s left for you to conquer? Most of us might be tempted to pack it up, to sit home with a cup of tea and reflect on the good old days. Not so for Sir Paul McCartney. The man who made mop-top haircuts fashionable so many decades below is now trying his hand at ballet. No, not as a dancer (now THAT would be tough on the old knees) but as creator and writer of the score. Ocean’s Kingdom opened last week at the New York City Ballet with music and a plot line written by McCartney. Click through to preview the sounds and sights of Sir Paul’s first foray into ballet.

[photogallerylink id=92120 align=left]Ocean’s Kingdom opened at the New York City Ballet on September 22nd after a gala opening with McCartney and daughter Stella in attendance. Stella McCartney collaborated with her father on this project, designing the costumes for the dancers. The plot follows the love story of Princess Honorata of the Ocean kingdom and Prince Stone of the Earth kingdom, as interlopers try unsuccessfully to tear their relationship apart. Find out more about the ballet in this chat between McCartney and Ocean’s Kingdom choreographer Peter Martins.

The track listing for the Ocean’s Kingdom score is as follows:

1 – Movement #1 “Ocean’s Kingdom”
2 – Movement #2 – “Hall of Dance”
3 – Movement #3 – “Imprisonment”
4 – Movement #4 – “Moonrise”

Produced by John Fraser

Composed by Paul McCartney

Played by The London Classical Orchestra
Conducted by John Wilson
Recorded at Henry Wood Hall, London

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The soundtrack to Ocean’s Kingdom is available on CD and Vinyl, click through to Amazon to pick up your copy. For more information on the New York City Ballet, including the January 2012 run of Ocean’s Kingdom, visit their website.

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