Music 2012 Summer Olympics opening ceremony

segment of opening ceremony celebrating british music

the eclectic programme of music chosen showcase exclusively british music pieces representing uk s 4 nations. included classical works british composers such hubert parry, , performances uk choirs , orchestras. focus on music of 1960s onwards, causing 1 chinese journalist ask: rock , roll opening ceremony ever? .

rick smith , underworld composed pieces ceremony, including , kiss used during pandemonium section, , caliban s dream heard during lighting of cauldron. these favourably reviewed; in guardian, michael hann wrote underworld ... had bit of triumph: builds , fades learned in world of dance music lent overwhelming visual spectacle sense of structure .

musical motifs used bind ceremony programme together: example, whistling theme first heard during minute s silence embedded within , kiss returned — behind fury ring being forged, emerging triumphant 5 rings came together, , again later main theme of caliban s dream whilst flame paraded around stadium.

mike oldfield performing tubular bells @ opening ceremony

bells theme of opening day of olympics, starting @ 8.12am artist martin creed s work no. 1197: bells, when bells rung across uk including forty strikes of big ben. sound of bells sound of england , boyle had told volunteers during rehearsal. of music ceremony contained bell references, linking large bell forged ceremony , evoking bells sound of freedom , peace . modified sequences based on traditional british eight-bell peal underlaid , kiss , carried through tubular bells /nhs section, handbells , tolling large bell featured on caliban s dream , @ key points in ceremony. handbell chime played after close, stadium emptied.

boyle approached many of artists personally, see if interested in performing, , flew barbados hour-long meeting mike oldfield. few turned him down, including elvis costello , david bowie, , well-known group boyle has not named wanted £20,000 , not budge , , not used. performing artists paid nominal £1 fee make contracts legally binding.

the pre-recorded soundtrack isles of wonder released on itunes @ midnight of 28 july 2012, two-disc cd set released on 2 august. within 2 days download album had topped itunes album charts in britain, france, belgium , spain, , reached no. 5 in united states, being no. 5 in british album charts. rick smith s concluding comment in cd cover notes was: isle full of noises. soundtrack writes itself.