Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts

{{Infobox album

| name = Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts

| type = live

| artist = William Shatner

| cover = William Shatner - Exodus- An Oratorio in Three Parts album cover.jpg

| alt = The album cover, showing the face and name of William Shatner and the title of the album.

| released = April 15, 2008

| recorded = April 9, 2005 – April 10, 2005

| venue = Robinson Center, Little Rock, Arkansas

| studio =

| genre = Pop rock, classical, spoken word

| length = {{Duration|m=51|s=14}}

| label =

| producer = David Itkin

| prev_title = Has Been

| prev_year = 2004

| next_title = Seeking Major Tom

| next_year = 2011

}}

Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts (2008) is the third album by William Shatner. It is a dramatic biblical reading in which he is accompanied by the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra.{{cite news |last=Gluck |first=Robert |date=April 24, 2014 |title=William Shatner’s One Man Show Keeps Him in the Limelight (INTERVIEW) |url=http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/04/24/william-shatners-one-man-show-keeps-him-in-the-limelight/ |newspaper=Algemeiner Journal |location=New York |access-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140427061820/http://www.algemeiner.com/2014/04/24/william-shatners-one-man-show-keeps-him-in-the-limelight/ |archive-date=April 27, 2014 }} [http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2014/4/23/from-star-trek-to-one-man-show-william-shatner-stays-in-the-limelight#.VtiQGfkrJQJ= Alt URL] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906064950/http://www.jns.org/latest-articles/2014/4/23/from-star-trek-to-one-man-show-william-shatner-stays-in-the-limelight#.VtiQGfkrJQJ= |date=2014-09-06 }} The recordings that were used to produce Exodus came from back-to-back evening performances by Shatner and the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra in April 2005.{{cite news |last=Eden |first=Ami |date=April 18, 2008 |title=Beam me up, Moses: William Shatner album tells Exodus story in spoken word, song |url=http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/34780/beam-me-up-moses-william-shatner-album-tells-exodus-story-in-spoken-word-so/ |newspaper=J Weekly |access-date=March 3, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220206/http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/34780/beam-me-up-moses-william-shatner-album-tells-exodus-story-in-spoken-word-so/ |archive-date=March 3, 2016 |url-status=bot: unknown }} In addition to Shatner and the 75 member orchestra, a choral group of 350 singers accompanied the reading of Bible and Haggadah passages.{{cite web |url=http://www.trektoday.com/news/180408_02.shtml |title= Shatner Reads Exodus |author=T'Bonz |date=April 18, 2008 |website=TrekToday |publisher=TrekNation |access-date=March 5, 2016}}

The album's music was written by David Itkin, and produced by Itkin, with executive producers Richard Foos and David McLees.[http://www.allmusic.com/album/an-oratorio-in-three-parts-mw0001654746 Exodus: An Oratorio in Three Parts] at AllMusic Itkin was the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra's music director and conductor at the time of the album's recording.{{cite book |editor1-last=Welky |editor1-first=Ali |editor2-last=Keckhaver |editor2-first=Mike |date=2013 |title=Encyclopedia of Arkansas Music |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bX2TAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA46 |location=Little Rock, AR |publisher=Butler Center Books |page=46 |isbn=9781935106609}} In an interview, Shatner recalled that Itkin invited him to perform as the piece's narrator.{{cite news |last=Dickter |first=Adam |date=May 27, 2008 |title=Captain Of Industry |url=http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/books/captain-industry |newspaper=The Jewish Week |location=New York |access-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417170234/http://www.thejewishweek.com/arts/books/captain-industry |archive-date=April 17, 2016 |url-status=dead }}

The end of the album features Shatner reading the Priestly Blessing to an ovation from the audience. About this, Shatner said in an interview, "The magic of the CD is that you can hear the connection, especially at the end, between the audience and the actor."

The album was also released under the title Exodus, an oratorio in 3 parts for narrator, baritone & orchestra by Jewish Music Group.[http://www.allmusic.com/album/release/an-oratorio-in-three-parts-mr0002839420 An Oratorio in Three Parts] at AllMusic