Sunday, 17 April 2011

There Will Always Be An England

No dragons, but lots of flags to honor St. George
How many holes does it take to fill the Royal Albert Hall? asked the Beatles. Dunno. But, the hall remains a fine place to celebrate St. George's Day, which is England's National Day. With about 6,000 other people, we heard the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the Royal Choral Society perform a host of English favorites, from the White Cliffs of Dover to Pomp & Circumstance and Rule Britannia. We were probably the only ones who didn't know the words for the sing-alongs (unlike the "old dear" next to us who managed to belt out the tunes while downing a tuna sandwich). Most of the audience was armed with small Union Jacks or the white flags of St. George marked with a red cross; some even sported St. George hats or shirts. A frenzy of flag waving accompanied the patriotic songs, and the finale was capped by a cascade of red and white balloons that came showering down on the orchestra and audience, who popped them with glee, making it sound like indoor fireworks.

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