A famous son brings Albert Hall to its feet....
Roddy Williams leads the nation in song at the Last Night of the Proms ....
Encouraged by the example of PM Patrick McHugh’s son Tom, who recently scored a hit in the West End (see WCoMC News August 2014), Liveryman Adrian Williams is proud to pass on the news that it was his son Roderick who was “leading the Nation in Song” (as they say nowadays) at the Last Night of the Proms on 13th September.
The best place to enjoy this concert was at home, watching TV. Serious folk, who would have viewed Part One on BBC2, saw him and two other soloists fronting-up for Richard Strauss’s obscure Cantata, Taillefer. Part 2 (on the populist BBC1 Channel) included his performance of his own orchestral arrangements of Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, and Ol’ Man River, followed by the usual gallimaufry of popular titbits, with obligatory flag-waving.
As Roddy mentioned in a brief TV-insert slot, the tricky aspect of Rule, Britannia! is not the singing of the high notes, or remembering the words: it’s What To Wear. He opted for conventional white-tie-and–tails, the white shirt complemented by a waistcoat that was half-blue, half-red: a patriotic statement appropriate for the occasion.
Last Night of the Proms 2014: "Rule, Brittania!" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLh-Q63MrDE
'Ol Man River' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?
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