Classical music features at the Olympic Closing Ceremony
13 August 2012, 09:47 | Updated: 13 August 2012, 10:13
Julian Lloyd Webber, the London Symphony Orchestra, Susan Bullock, Bond, Darcey Bussell and others feature alongside a host of pop and rock superstars in a spectacular end to the London 2012 Olympic Games
It was referred to as a Symphony of British Music, and it certainly lived up to its billing. The London 2012 Closing Ceremony featured a host of classical music stars alongside the cream of British pop and rock talent, old and new.
Julian Lloyd Webber delighted the audience with a spectacularly staged version of Elgar's 'Salut D'amour' with the backing of the London Symphony Orchestra. Elsewhere, the LSO also performed David Arnold's 'Parade of Athletes', written especially for the occasion, while pop string quartet Bond accompanied comedian Russell Brand.
Opera singer Susan Bullock joined Eric Idle and a host of roller-skating nuns for a typically surreal version of 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life'. Other sections featured artists like the Hackney Colliery Band and prima ballerina Darcey Bussell, before the ceremony handed over to performers from Rio, the hosts of the 2016 games.
Across town in Hyde Park, Classic FM's very own Alex James joined his band Blur on stage for a concert to mark the closing of the Olympics. You can also hear Jamie Crick's interview with Julian Lloyd Webber here.
