Paul Kelso in Beijing
Saturday August 23 2008
The shipping forecast, a new version of the national anthem sanctioned by the Queen and the most famous footballer on the planet will herald the start of the London Olympiad tomorrow when the capital briefly takes centre stage in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium.
As China's games officially draw to an end with a closing ceremony certain to be epic in scale and execution, London has just eight minutes to mark the official handover of the Olympic flag.
Organisers are pinning their hopes on a very British affair marked by an innovative score, a live performance of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, a double-decker bus and David Beckham to set the tone for 2012.
It is a hugely significant moment for the London project, with the £2.5m show offering the first opportunity to make a global statement about what the city will bring to its games. Faced with the challenge of conveying so much in so short a time, they have gone for instantly recognisable icons and a big rock moment. The 70-strong cast have been rehearsing for for two weeks at a private airfield outside Beijing.
Martin Green, head of ceremonies for London 2012, said the intention was to spark a celebration for the capital and the country. "We have eight minutes to say 'This is London'. We don't want to overcomplicate, to rebrand the nation or stage an opening ceremony," he said. "This is a short sharp shock that fires the starting gun for London."
Protocol demands that the official handover begins with the Olympic flag being handed from the mayor of the current host to the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, who in turn passes it on to Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. Once he has waved the flag the required six times it will be carried out of the stadium accompanied by the National Youth Orchestra singing the national anthem, rearranged for the occasion by musical director Philip Sheppard.
Sheppard, who has previously worked with David Bowie, received the Queen's permission to rearrange the anthem, discarding the military band version sanctioned by George V and writing new harmonies to the original tune.
Once the anthem has finished an animated title sequence bookended by the BBC World Service call sign of "This Is London" will be played on the screens as a red double-decker bus, Number 2012, arrives in the stadium.
Awaiting it on the far side of the track at a London bus stop next to a zebra crossing complete with Belisha beacons, will be the 36 dancers from the hip-hop troop Zoo Nation, the CanDoCo Contemporary Dance Company and the Royal Opera House, all of them sheltering under umbrellas.
The bus will make its way round the track to a score written by Sheppard that evokes Britain's musical heritage without abandoning the contemporary tone. Jerusalem, Greensleeves and excerpts from the shipping forecast read by Radio 4 regular Zeb Soanes interweave with three traditional sea shanties with harmonies based on the chimes of Big Ben.
Halfway round the track the bus will be joined by cycling gold medallists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton and BMX star Shanaze Reade, dressed as a courier, a City gent and a London biker. Reade hopes to take part despite injuring her wrist when crashing out of the BMX final yesterday.
When the bus arrives at the stop a nine-year old Londoner, Tayyiba Dudhwala, will emerge to be handed a football by Erika Tham, a Chinese-Canadian chosen to represent the children of the world.
As the people in the queue dance beneath their brollies, the bus will begin a transformation, its roof opening like a Lotus flower to reveal a stage. As Sheppard's score reaches its climax singer Leona Lewis will emerge on a platform to perform an R&B aria.
Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will emerge on a platform at the other end of the bus and strike out the opening chords of Whole Lotta Love. In order to meet the eight-minute limit the song has been curtailed by two and a half minutes, but to Page's delight now cuts straight to the solo.
As their duet climaxes, Beckham rises up on a third platform clutching the football flanked by a cellist and violinist in Team GB kit, and kicks the ball into the athletes packed in the centre field of the stadium. The bus departs transformed into an ersatz carnival float.
Stephen Powell, the creative director, said the intention was to create a quintessentially British moment: "The London bus is an iconic image that will be recognisable to anyone watching anywhere in the world, and it will be in complete contrast to what has gone before. We wanted to do a show that is irrepressibly British, iconic, eclectic and witty."
He will discover if it worked shortly after tomorrow afternoon's ceremony, which will be watched by 90,000 people in the stadium, an audience of thousands more at live sites around the UK and a potential TV audience of billions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/23/olympics2012.olympics20082
Saturday August 23 2008
The shipping forecast, a new version of the national anthem sanctioned by the Queen and the most famous footballer on the planet will herald the start of the London Olympiad tomorrow when the capital briefly takes centre stage in Beijing's Bird's Nest stadium.
As China's games officially draw to an end with a closing ceremony certain to be epic in scale and execution, London has just eight minutes to mark the official handover of the Olympic flag.
Organisers are pinning their hopes on a very British affair marked by an innovative score, a live performance of Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, a double-decker bus and David Beckham to set the tone for 2012.
It is a hugely significant moment for the London project, with the £2.5m show offering the first opportunity to make a global statement about what the city will bring to its games. Faced with the challenge of conveying so much in so short a time, they have gone for instantly recognisable icons and a big rock moment. The 70-strong cast have been rehearsing for for two weeks at a private airfield outside Beijing.
Martin Green, head of ceremonies for London 2012, said the intention was to spark a celebration for the capital and the country. "We have eight minutes to say 'This is London'. We don't want to overcomplicate, to rebrand the nation or stage an opening ceremony," he said. "This is a short sharp shock that fires the starting gun for London."
Protocol demands that the official handover begins with the Olympic flag being handed from the mayor of the current host to the president of the International Olympic Committee, Jacques Rogge, who in turn passes it on to Boris Johnson, the mayor of London. Once he has waved the flag the required six times it will be carried out of the stadium accompanied by the National Youth Orchestra singing the national anthem, rearranged for the occasion by musical director Philip Sheppard.
Sheppard, who has previously worked with David Bowie, received the Queen's permission to rearrange the anthem, discarding the military band version sanctioned by George V and writing new harmonies to the original tune.
Once the anthem has finished an animated title sequence bookended by the BBC World Service call sign of "This Is London" will be played on the screens as a red double-decker bus, Number 2012, arrives in the stadium.
Awaiting it on the far side of the track at a London bus stop next to a zebra crossing complete with Belisha beacons, will be the 36 dancers from the hip-hop troop Zoo Nation, the CanDoCo Contemporary Dance Company and the Royal Opera House, all of them sheltering under umbrellas.
The bus will make its way round the track to a score written by Sheppard that evokes Britain's musical heritage without abandoning the contemporary tone. Jerusalem, Greensleeves and excerpts from the shipping forecast read by Radio 4 regular Zeb Soanes interweave with three traditional sea shanties with harmonies based on the chimes of Big Ben.
Halfway round the track the bus will be joined by cycling gold medallists Chris Hoy and Victoria Pendleton and BMX star Shanaze Reade, dressed as a courier, a City gent and a London biker. Reade hopes to take part despite injuring her wrist when crashing out of the BMX final yesterday.
When the bus arrives at the stop a nine-year old Londoner, Tayyiba Dudhwala, will emerge to be handed a football by Erika Tham, a Chinese-Canadian chosen to represent the children of the world.
As the people in the queue dance beneath their brollies, the bus will begin a transformation, its roof opening like a Lotus flower to reveal a stage. As Sheppard's score reaches its climax singer Leona Lewis will emerge on a platform to perform an R&B aria.
Meanwhile, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page will emerge on a platform at the other end of the bus and strike out the opening chords of Whole Lotta Love. In order to meet the eight-minute limit the song has been curtailed by two and a half minutes, but to Page's delight now cuts straight to the solo.
As their duet climaxes, Beckham rises up on a third platform clutching the football flanked by a cellist and violinist in Team GB kit, and kicks the ball into the athletes packed in the centre field of the stadium. The bus departs transformed into an ersatz carnival float.
Stephen Powell, the creative director, said the intention was to create a quintessentially British moment: "The London bus is an iconic image that will be recognisable to anyone watching anywhere in the world, and it will be in complete contrast to what has gone before. We wanted to do a show that is irrepressibly British, iconic, eclectic and witty."
He will discover if it worked shortly after tomorrow afternoon's ceremony, which will be watched by 90,000 people in the stadium, an audience of thousands more at live sites around the UK and a potential TV audience of billions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/aug/23/olympics2012.olympics20082