The Beatles Concerto is an instrumental musical medley

Medley (music)

In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...

 arranged and composed by John Rutter

John Rutter

John Milford Rutter CBE is a British composer, conductor, editor, arranger and record producer, mainly of choral music.-Biography:Born in London, Rutter was educated at Highgate School, where a fellow pupil was John Tavener. He read music at Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a member of the...

 within a classical

Classical music

Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...

 "Piano Concerto

Piano concerto

A piano concerto is a concerto written for piano and orchestra.See also harpsichord concerto; some of these works are occasionally played on piano...

 Form".

The LP

A recording from 1979 engineered by Ron Goodwin

Ron Goodwin

Ronald Alfred Goodwin was a British composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years....

 included the interpretation and performance of concert-pianists Peter Rostal and Paul Schaefer

Paul Shaffer

Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...

 as well the accompaniment from Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra

The Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Society is a society based in Liverpool, Merseyside, England, that organises concerts and other events mainly in the field of classical music. The society is the second oldest of its type in the United Kingdom and its orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic...

. Since then, Rutter's The Beatles Concerto and its recording have been compared to concertos from Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky. It has also been criticized as not being "...the umpteenth album, with a medley of tunes, by Lennon-McCartney-Harrison, but contains [sic] a number of The Beatles

The Beatles

The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

 songs, arranged in a classical form...". The original LP record

LP album

The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...

 was produced by The Beatles producer George Martin

George Martin

Sir George Henry Martin CBE is an English record producer, arranger, composer and musician. He is sometimes referred to as "the Fifth Beatle"— a title that he often describes as "nonsense," but the fact remains that he served as producer on all but one of The Beatles' original albums...

.

A Side

1st Movement: Mæstoso - Allegro Moderato (She Loves You

She Loves You

"She Loves You" is a song written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney based on an idea by McCartney, originally recorded by The Beatles for release as a single in 1963. The single set and surpassed several records in the United Kingdom charts, and set a record in the United States by being one of the...

 - Eleanor Rigby

Eleanor Rigby

"Eleanor Rigby" is a song by The Beatles, simultaneously released on the 1966 album Revolver and on a 45 rpm single. The song was written primarily by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney...

 - Yesterday

Yesterday (song)

"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded by The Beatles for their 1965 album Help!. The song first hit the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!. The song remains popular today with more than 1,600 cover versions, one of the most covered songs in the history of recorded...

 - All My Loving

All My Loving

"All My Loving" is a song by The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney , from the 1963 album With The Beatles. Though it was not released as a single in the United Kingdom or the United States, it drew considerable radio airplay, prompting EMI to issue it as the title track of an EP...

 - Hey Jude

Hey Jude

"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song widely accepted as being written to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce—although this explanation is not...

)

2nd Movement: Andante Espressivo (Here, There and Everywhere

Here, There and Everywhere

"Here, There and Everywhere" is a song written primarily by Paul McCartney , recorded for The Beatles 1966 album Revolver. In his biography Many Years From Now, McCartney said the song is one of his favourites. Beatles' producer George Martin has also mentioned it as one of his favourite McCartney...

 - Something

Something

"Something" is a song by The Beatles, written by lead guitarist George Harrison in 1969. It was featured on the album Abbey Road, and was also the first song written by Harrison to appear on the A-side of a Beatles' single...

)

3rd Movement: Presto (Can't Buy Me Love

Can't Buy Me Love

"Can't Buy Me Love" is a song composed by Paul McCartney and released by The Beatles on the A-side of their sixth British single, "Can't Buy Me Love"/"You Can't Do That".-Interpretation:...

 - The Long and Winding Road

The Long and Winding Road

"The Long and Winding Road" is a ballad written by Paul McCartney that originally appeared on The Beatles' album Let It Be. It became The Beatles' 20th and last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970, and was the last single released by the quartet...

)

B Side

The Fool on the Hill

The Fool on the Hill

"The Fool on the Hill" is a song by The Beatles. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney and recorded in 1967...

 (Arr. Rutter)

Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a song written primarily by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney, for The Beatles' 1967 album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...

 (Arr. Goodwin)

Michelle

Michelle (song)

"Michelle" is a love ballad by The Beatles, mainly written by Paul McCartney, with the middle eight co-written with John Lennon. It is featured on their Rubber Soul album. The song departs from most of The Beatles' other recordings in that some of the lyrics are in French...

 (Arr. Goodwin)

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

Maxwell's Silver Hammer

"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is a song by The Beatles, on their album, Abbey Road, sung by Paul McCartney. It was written by McCartney, though credited to Lennon–McCartney.-Background:...

 (Arr. Goodwin)

Here Comes the Sun

Here Comes the Sun

"Here Comes the Sun" is a song by George Harrison from The Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. It is regarded as one of the most popular Beatles songs. The song was written while Harrison was away from all of these troubles...

 (Arr. Rutter)

A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night (song)

"A Hard Day's Night" is a song by the English rock band The Beatles. Written by John Lennon, and credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was released on the movie soundtrack of the same name in 1964...

 (Arr. Rutter)

The bonus 7" single featuring (A-side) Here, There and Everywhere/Something and (B-Side) Can't Buy Me Love/The Long And Winding Road came free with the album

Discography

• Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Peter Rostal (Piano), Paul Shaefer (Piano) and John Rutter (Conductor & Composer). John Rutter: Distant Land.: Beatles Concerto. Studio. Trak no. 5 (23:41), Rec. May 2003. Information republished by "Rutter: Distant Land, Suites, Etc / Rostal, Schaefer, Rpo Classical CD." CD Universe & Muze Inc. Accessed 14 Jan. 2008.

Footnotes

Photography and Design was for the album package was by Hipgnosis.