SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY - MCCARTNEY WINS CLASSICAL BRIT

MCCARTNEY WINS CLASSICAL BRIT

Sir Paul McCartney picked up the best album prize at the Classical Brit awards last night for his record Ecce Cor Meum (Behold My Heart).

The album is the former Beatle's fourth classical foray and a clearly chuffed Sir Paul said his parents would have been proud of him.

Accepting the award, Sir Paul said: "It's such a huge honour for me to get this. If you'd told me as a kid in Liverpool that I would be at the Royal Albert Hall picking up an award I would not have believed you."

Ecce Cor Meum was eight years in the making and came about after Sir Paul was invited to write music for the new concert hall at Magdalen College in Oxford. It follows on from his first effort, 1991's The Liverpool Oratorio.

The rock 'n' roll legend began composing the album before his first wife, Linda, died of breast cancer and he put the album on hold after her death.

Sir Paul beat Sting to the award, who was nominated for his lute album Songs from the Labyrinth and performed on the night.

Other winners included Russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who was awarded singer of the year and pianist Lief Ove Andsnes, who picked up the musician of the year award.

The young classical performer award was given to Ruth Palmer for her Shostakovich/Violin Concerto No 1.