Here's something you might be interested in.
On Christmas Day, Bud Greenspan died of complications from Parkinson’s.
Greenspan was a documentary film maker who focused specifically on athletics. For his 1977 film dramatizing the life of Wilma Rudolph, Greenspan cast Denzel Washington in his first role.
What does that have to do with classical music?
For the finale of his documentary of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, 16 Days of Glory, Greenspan wanted to include his love of opera.
Greenspan remembered the Toscanini/Jan Peerce recording of Verdi’s Hymn of the Nations. Verdi wrote the hymn to include the Italian, French, and British national anthems.
To celebrate the end of World War II, Toscanini expanded the hymn to include the national anthems of The United States and The Soviet Union. By adding the US and Soviet anthems, the four major ally powers were recognized.
For 16 Days of Glory, Greenspan tried to include all the anthems of the countries which had hosted the modern Olympics. However, the piece became too long and some countries were edited out.
When Placido Domingo came to record the new Hymn to Nations, he wanted to know why his native Mexico wasn’t included.
The next day, the new score arrived and Mexico was represented.
The music is suitably grand for one of the most significant events of The Cold War.
The Los Angeles Olympics gave us Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, Bela Karoyli, Michael Jordan, Greg Louganis, Edwin Moses, Flo Jo, Joan Benoit, and for the first time, China participated.
Greenspan’s documentary captures the grandeur of The Los Angeles Olympics and Verdi’s Hymn of the Nations is the benediction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SWk63xal5s
On Christmas Day, Bud Greenspan died of complications from Parkinson’s.
Greenspan was a documentary film maker who focused specifically on athletics. For his 1977 film dramatizing the life of Wilma Rudolph, Greenspan cast Denzel Washington in his first role.
What does that have to do with classical music?
For the finale of his documentary of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, 16 Days of Glory, Greenspan wanted to include his love of opera.
Greenspan remembered the Toscanini/Jan Peerce recording of Verdi’s Hymn of the Nations. Verdi wrote the hymn to include the Italian, French, and British national anthems.
To celebrate the end of World War II, Toscanini expanded the hymn to include the national anthems of The United States and The Soviet Union. By adding the US and Soviet anthems, the four major ally powers were recognized.
For 16 Days of Glory, Greenspan tried to include all the anthems of the countries which had hosted the modern Olympics. However, the piece became too long and some countries were edited out.
When Placido Domingo came to record the new Hymn to Nations, he wanted to know why his native Mexico wasn’t included.
The next day, the new score arrived and Mexico was represented.
The music is suitably grand for one of the most significant events of The Cold War.
The Los Angeles Olympics gave us Carl Lewis, Mary Lou Retton, Bela Karoyli, Michael Jordan, Greg Louganis, Edwin Moses, Flo Jo, Joan Benoit, and for the first time, China participated.
Greenspan’s documentary captures the grandeur of The Los Angeles Olympics and Verdi’s Hymn of the Nations is the benediction.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SWk63xal5s