THE CITY of Birmingham Orchestra (CBSO) have been recording 72 national anthems ready for the medal ceremonies at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022.
Around 50 of the cuty’s top musicians took part in the thre day recording session which was arranged and conducted by Royal Academy of Music professor Philip Sheppard, who specialises in film and television soundtracks.
Jerusalem has been chosen as Team England’s official anthem.
The anthems will be played during the gold medal victory ceremonies and must last between 60 to 90 seconds to ensure they fit into the flag-raising time.
All 72 nations and territories taking part in the Games next summer have agreed in advance which section of their anthem they want played should their athletes be successful in winning gold.
Philip said: “I’m thrilled to be working with CBSO having been a life-long fan of the orchestra.
“This was amplified by Sir Simon Rattle visiting my school when I was younger.
“What better fit than Birmingham’s own Symphony Orchestra recording the national anthems that will be played at poignant moments in Birmingham 2022.
“I have strived to match the adrenalin and excitement of the Games in my versions of the anthems and hope we get to hear England’s anthem as much as possible.”
Nations including St Helena, Turks and Caicos Islands and Norfolk have chosen God Save The Queen if their nation celebrates a gold medal.
Ian Reid, CEO at Birmingham 2022 said: “We’re delighted the CBSO are playing such an important part in the victory ceremonies of the Games and I’m really looking forward to hearing these anthems played next year.”
The Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games will see around 4,500 athletes from 72 nations and territories compete in 19 sports and eight para-sports across 14 competition venues from July 28 until August 8.
As the biggest event ever to be held in the West Midlands, it is expected to attract more than one million spectators to the city and have a global TV audience of 1.5billion.
