Prom Minister Lady Thatcher

The Sun ^

[UKrepublican]

Prom Minister Lady Thatcher
September 10, 2007

PATRIOTIC Lady Thatcher joins in with a rousing sing-song — bringing back memories of her glory days.

The former Prime Minister, 81, looked back to her best at the Last Night of the Proms — surrounded by crowds proudly waving Union Jacks.

And the Iron Lady, delivered a premier performance — joining in with a rousing rendition of Land of Hope and Glory to mark the festival’s finale.

Lady Thatcher wore an elegant red gown for the world-famous concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall.

Star-studded open-air performances took place at the same time around the UK. Soprano Lesley Garrett sang You’ll Never Walk Alone in London’s Hyde Park — as a tribute to opera legend Luciano Pavarotti, who died aged 71 of pancreatic cancer on Thursday.

[UKrepublican]

UK Ping list - if you would like on or off, freepmail me.

[UKrepublican]

PING

There’s a fantastic picture at the link - copyrighted so I can’t post.

For those of you that don’t know, the event was the last night of the BBC summer proms - and it’s always one amazing patriotic night.

From last year:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYgeETrkPs

Land of hope and glory

And the song I think should be the national anthem:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQ0oCmDXrVk&mode=related&search=

And Britannia rules the waves:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dr00Vp946lU&mode=related&search=

[kitkat]

There’s a great uTube with Pomp and Circumstance which took place in Hyde Park in 2006.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THYgeETrkPs

[Tax-chick]

the last night of the BBC summer proms

Can you translate that into American?

[UKrepublican]

From wiki:

“The Proms (also more formally known as The BBC Proms, or The Henry Wood Promenade Concerts presented by the BBC) is an eight-week summer season of daily orchestral classical music concerts and other events held annually, predominantly in the Royal Albert Hall in South Kensington, London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1895, each season now consists of over 70 concerts in the Albert Hall, a series of eight chamber concerts and four Saturday Matinees at Cadogan Hall, additional Proms in the Park events across the United Kingdom on the Last Night and associated educational and children’s “

“Last Night of the Proms
Most people’s perception of the Proms is taken from the ‘Last Night’, although this concert is very different from the others. In the UK, it is usually broadcast on BBC2 (first half) and BBC1 (second half) and usually takes place on the second Saturday in September. The concert is traditionally in a lighter, ‘winding-down’ vein, with popular classics being followed by a series of patriotic pieces in the second half of the concert. This sequence begins with Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 (Land of Hope and Glory), and continues with Sir Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs which culminates in Thomas Arne’s Rule Britannia. The concert concludes with Hubert Parry’s Jerusalem (a setting of a poem by William Blake), and the British national anthem. The Prommers have made a recent tradition of singing Auld Lang Syne but it is not in the programme.”

Hope that helps.

[BfloGuy]

Thanks, I spent 2 1/2 years in the UK in the 90’s and no one could tell me why they were called the “Proms”.

[Everydayiwritethebook]

Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves! I love seeing all those people singing those words! Of course, the presenter always tried to slip in a comment about how they aren't jingoistic somewhere along the way... Apparently, there was some hullabaloo about it a couple of years ago.

[Fiji Hill]

Star-studded open-air performances took place at the same time around the UK. Soprano Lesley Garrett sang You’ll Never Walk Alone in London’s Hyde Park

I would have enjoyed hearing that. Frank Sinatra's recording of You'll Never Walk Alone (Columbia Records #36825), which was a hit in the fall of 1945, is my favorite version of the tune.

[cake_crumb]

“PROM Minister”?? It’s spelled like that in the subheading, too.

[Fiji Hill]

Jerusalem would make an excellent national anthem for the UK. More information about the song can be found here.

[wideminded]

I liked watching the Jane Eaglen singing “Rule Britannia” in the 2000 Last Night of the Proms. You need someone like that to put it across. I don’t see how anyone could do it better.

[UKrepublican]

Thanks for that. It is a fantastic patriotic piece.

[Tax-chick]

Thanks! It sounds like the “Washington Pops!” concerts that we get on Memorial Day and Independence Day here.

[Little Bill]

Most fun I ever, had with my knickers on, was at the Proms. Everyone was drunk and singing, largely out of tune, the Union Jack was prominent, great time.