The Queen’s pageant had just one classical musician
OrchestrasAmid the hordes of sportsmen and entertainers crammed onto open-topped buses in celebration of HM The Queen’s platinum jubilee, we spotted just one professional classical musician.
Good to see Vanessa-Mae has still got a good PR.
(Did we miss anyone?)
Guess Yo Yo had a paying gig…..
I assume that the invitees were all from Britain or Commonwealth countries, and Yo-Yo Ma is an American citizen.
Diana Ross is definitely American!
It’s a pity they didn’t have Freddie di Tommaso, our bright, young British tenor, to sing Nessum Dorma instead of Bocelli.
Classical musicians have better things to do than partake in this silliness.
Perhaps if they partook in a little “silliness” occasionally, instead of shutting themselves away, going to a classical concert would not be considered so abnormal, particularly among the young.
Exactly. As a singer myself, I have always found this with people. They have a perception of the classical music world, known particularly opera, and you can’t change them, not even wlth free tickets.
Yes, ‘Opra’ – a four letter word to many people.
The strangest criticism I hear is that opera singing is not natural. I can accept, perhaps, that some folk singing has a ‘naturalness’ to it, but the critics are almost always speaking from a pop/rock standpoint – millions of dollars worth of equipment, sound processing and manipulation. Yes, all very ‘natural’.
Perhaps a little less pomposity in how people (often) dress for concerts, opera and ballet would help too. It’s no wonder that many people of all ages are put off classical performing arts.
Absolutely true … but no doubt the utter philistinism of the royal family played a part too. As well as silly, the sycophancy was crass …
Sycophancy, or just genuine support for something you don’t happen to approve of?
As far as I could tell, it was characterized by very large crowds showing genuine goodwill all round.
Ooh ouch…easy big guy
If I was the King I would have nothing but classical musicians for the entertainment, and one pop star like, say, Vanessa Mae.
But you’re not King and will never be – ha, ha, ha!
to be fair, the Queen is a true connoisseur of horse breeding but her taste in music is more George Formby than Harrison Birtwhistle. With the next King we may get wall-to-wall Parry….
Birtwistle.
And Wagner!
Surely some Stanford too.
Agreed- rather depressing, the exclusive focus on showbiz and sport
But that is our British culture, and it brings millions into the economy.
My expectation to see the likes of classical musicians was subdued…nonetheless I say “Long liver HM Queen Elizabeth II”.
Not bad considering classical music is enjoyed by only 0.2% of world population.
Codswallop – show your working!
It’s true, and not that long when 7% of all record sales in the US was classical.
Where did you get this nonsense idea? In South Korea, e.g., average audience age is 20, and there are 100s of 1000s of them. You write codswallop.
Quite understandable that her Majesty stayed away.
Alas, panem et ludos.
Yes, 96 and can barely walk. A big change in her mobility frpm when she was there in 2012 on stage with Prince Charles
It is time the world accepted that Classical Music in 2022 is anything but elitist. Firstly, ‘Pop’ Music concerts, West End shows and Sports events are vastly more expensive in comparison, arguably making them more elitist than Classical Music. Nor can the world deny that Classical Music is actually now accessible for everyone to enjoy – it is no longer a question of ‘education’ – people study all kinds of new subjects as an adult for example, so why not Classical Music? The simple fact is that to most British people Classical Music is a language they neither understand or are prepared to be bothered to understand. It is far easier fir people to describe Classical Music as ‘elitist’, ‘posh’, ‘boring or whatever other ridiculous excuse in order to take the easy option of indulging in Popular Culture, which by necessity is aimed at everyone of all intellects.
So it is easy to understand why Classical Music was hardly represented in this instance – it merely reflects what people want, can understand or can be bothered to learn about. Very sad, but it has always been the way. In the 1920s the large audience would be chatting through concerts – most of them didn’t want to be there!
So in conclusion, classical music is about escaping from this deeply sad and cultureless world while pop culture promotes the creation of such a world.
In your opinion. Not for me as an active classical performer. I like all types of music.
Active performers are often biased in their opinion.
It’s like asking a cement mixer about architecture.
Exactly.
They got Bocelli and Nessun Dorma, and that’s Williams favourite who also sang at Harry’s wedding, and thanks to The Three Tenors.
And Sheku for the Sussexes.
It didn’t help.
Nothing helps in Bojo-land!
So indulge in excessive celebrations, practitioners!
Here here!! Or is it hear hear?
Here hear???
The photograph you’ve used for this article is not of Vanessa Mae. It’s of Korean cellist Oh Ahmi. Please address this – it’s extremely concerning that issues like this persist on ‘the #1 classical music news site’.
I thought Vanessa Mae seemed to have shrunk since I last saw a picture of her.
Vanessa Mae, Tina Guo, Oh Ahmi, Yuja…. on this number one site for ogling asian female musicians, it seems that we cant tell them apart. Or else we are so distracted by the “wardrobe”, that it takes a day before anyone notices the difference between cello and a violin.
Exactly. For all those on this site who whinge endlessly about any effort in the industry to address racial barriers and injustices, these “they all look the same” mistakes illustrate exactly why change is needed…
Was Mike Batt credited in any form?
There was a lot of classical music in the Thanksgiving Service, so it was probably over-represented across the Platinum Jubilee weekend.
You did mean ‘Platnum’ did you not
All those pop people – what a Philistine nation
Let us pray for a restart after the Elizabethan era.