I switched on the TV at the weekend to watch the Last Night of the Proms, our once a year patriotic bash, and found a German tenor down to sing Rule Britannia and an American lady conducting the BBC orchestra in Land of Hope and Glory.
My first thoughts were good god, I hope he doesn’t break into Deutschland, Deutschland über alles, half way through, or she doesn’t forget herself and give us The Battle Hymn of the Republic instead.
Needn’t of worried though, both were excellent.
Incidentally The Last Night of the Proms is very British and boisterous night except for in 2001 a few days after 9-11. When the American conductor Leonard Slatkin, conducted the BBC Orchestra in Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings.
There were no carnival costumes and, for most of the evening, few flags. A balloon decorated with the Stars and Stripes floated forlornly above the arena. Whether you are into classical music or not,I think you will agree that nothing approaches the sadness and emotion of this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sftaC0yC714
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