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2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony: Difference between revisions

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==Anthems and protocol==
==Anthems and protocol==
According to protocol<ref name="IOCclosing">{{cite web |title=Closing Ceremony Factsheet|publisher=The International Olympic Committee|date=5 June 2012|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Closing_Ceremony_of_the_Games.pdf|accessdate=2012-08-12}}</ref> three national flags were hoisted one at a time whilst the corresponding national anthems were played: of Greece to honour the birthplace of the Olympic Games; of the host country the United Kingdom; and of [[Flag of Brazil|Brazil]], the host of the [[2016 Summer Olympics|next Summer Games]]. The [[Olympic Hymn]] was sung by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir and the London Welsh Rugby Club Choir as the Olympic Flag was lowered and carried from the stadium. The Olympic Flag would be raised again in [[Sochi]] at the [[2014 Winter Olympics|next Winter Olympics]] on 7 February 2014 at their opening ceremony.
According to protocol<ref name="IOCclosing">{{cite web |title=Closing Ceremony Factsheet|publisher=The International Olympic Committee|date=5 June 2012|url=http://www.olympic.org/Documents/Reference_documents_Factsheets/Closing_Ceremony_of_the_Games.pdf|accessdate=2012-08-12}}</ref> three national flags were hoisted one at a time whilst the corresponding national anthems were played: of Greece to honour the birthplace of the Olympic Games; of the host country the United Kingdom; and of [[Flag of Brazil|Brazil]], the host of the [[2016 Summer Olympics|next Summer Games]]. The [[Olympic Hymn]] was sung by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir and the London Welsh Rugby Club Choir as the Olympic Flag was lowered and carried from the stadium. The Olympic Flag will be raised again in [[Sochi]] at the [[2014 Winter Olympics|next Winter Olympics]] on 7 February 2014 at their opening ceremony.


==Production, ratings and reviews==
==Production, ratings and reviews==

Revision as of 00:24, 14 August 2012

"A Symphony of British Music" redirects here. For the soundtrack album, see A Symphony of British Music: Music for the Closing Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

2012 Summer Olympics
closing ceremony
Date21:00, 12 August 2012 (+01:00) (2012-08-12T21:00+01:00)
LocationLondon, United Kingdom
Coordinates51°32′19″N 0°01′00″W / 51.53861°N 0.01667°W / 51.53861; -0.01667
Also known asA Symphony of British Music
Filmed by

The closing ceremony of the London 2012 Summer Olympics, also known as A Symphony of British Music,[1] was held on 12 August in the Olympic Stadium. The worldwide broadcast began at 21:00 BST (UTC+1) and finished at 00:11, with a total duration of 3 hours and 11 minutes. There was an estimated global audience of 750 million.[2] The ceremony included a handover to the next host city for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro.[3] The closing ceremony was broadcast in full HD 1080p by various TV channels and online.[4]

The Olympic Cauldron was extinguished at one minute past midnight, signifying the end of the Games.

Performance synopsis

Olympic rings
Part of a series on
2012 Summer Olympics

The ceremony commenced with fireworks[5] after a countdown showing numbers from around London on such locations as road signs, 10 Downing Street, the Palace of Westminster clock tower. Newspaper cutouts on both the set and road vehicles sought to show a "day in the life of London", printed with words from British literary figures such as William Shakespeare. The set also featured models of London landmarks including Tower Bridge, the Palace of Westminster clock tower, Battersea Power Station, and St Paul’s Cathedral.[6] Timothy Spall acting as Winston Churchill opened the performance giving the same speech by Caliban in The Tempest as Kenneth Branagh had done during the opening ceremony.

The guests of honour were IOC President Jacques Rogge and Prince Harry, representing Queen Elizabeth II.

In accordance with tradition, the medal ceremony for the men's marathon took place, with Uganda's national anthem (Oh Uganda, Land of Beauty) played as Stephen Kiprotich was awarded the last medal. Six volunteers, chosen to represent the 70,000 who had worked at the games, were thanked.[5]

The show celebrated music as one of Britain’s strongest cultural exports over the past 50 years. Pet Shop Boys entered on bicycle rickshaws after a troop of 160 guards from the Household Division Ceremonial State Band. They were followed by One Direction.[5] Taio Cruz performed the song "Dynamite".[7] A segment representing the London rush hour featured Del Boy’s Reliant Regal three-wheeled van from Only Fools and Horses[6], with actors reprising Del and Rodney in costume as Batman and Robin.[8] The show also included a balloon release.

There was a rendering of John Lennon's "Imagine", as well as a video of Freddie Mercury, prior to performances from Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen.[9] Monty Python's Eric Idle emerged from below the stage for a skit choreographed to Always Look on the Bright Side of Life featuring nuns on roller-skates, Morris dancers, Roman soldiers[5] and Punjabi bhangra players and dancers, before a human cannonball was fired across the stage.[5]

Other performers included Emeli Sandé, Madness, Ray Davies, Elbow, Kaiser Chiefs, Ed Sheeran (with Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, Mike Rutherford of Genesis and Richard Jones of The Feeling), Russell Brand, Fatboy Slim[10][11] and Beady Eye.[12][13] During "Wish You Were Here" a high-wire walker crossed above the stadium, to recreate the "burning man" handshake from the sleeve of the album of the same name.[14] Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell featured in a segment celebrating British fashion,[15] which included seven other models.[5] Muse performed the official song of the 2012 Olympics, "Survival".[16] George Michael performed 2 tracks including Freedom! '90. Annie Lennox came on a ghost galleon. Three convertible Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupés opened one-by-one to show Jessie J, Taio Cruz and Tinie Tempah. There was also a performance by the Spice Girls who entered in five coloured London taxis,[5] dancing on the taxi's roofs as they drove around the stadium.

The Olympic Flag was then symbolically passed from the mayor of London, Boris Johnson, to the head of the IOC, Jacques Rogge and then on to the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes,[5] who held it while the Brazilian anthem was played. In accordance with tradition Brazil then gave a short preview performance: this presented both indigenous and latin american culture including an extensive samba routine, and featured international football star Pelé. In his closing speech Sebastian Coe, chairman of LOCOG, recalled his words during the opening ceremony that the Games were a chance for Great Britain to show itself at its best - and he then added: "Britain, we did it right!" Rogge added that the Games had been "happy and glorious",[5] and declared them closed. There was then a performance from Take That. Ballerina Darcey Bussell descended from the roof wearing orange phoenix-like wings[5] and performed to "Spirit of the Flame" accompanied by Gary Avis, Jonathan Cope, Nehemiah Kish, Edward Watson, and a corps de ballet of over two hundred volunteers. The Olympic flame was then extinguished at one minute past midnight. A closing performance by The Who followed, with most other performers joining them on stage to wave, as a final fireworks display ended the Games.[5]

Musical performances and tracks played

Russell Brand in 2011
Brian May in 2010
The Spice Girls in 2007

The tracks played at the event (artists who appeared live are listed in italics.[11][12] All others are recordings) were:[17]

Other events

A closing concert was held by BT London Live at Hyde Park,[19] featuring Blur, New Order, The Specials and Bombay Bicycle Club.[20]

Flag bearers

Main article: 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony flag bearers

In accordance with tradition, the athletes entered the stadium together rather than by nationality. They were guided by LOCOG volunteers in blue bowler hats with lit light bulbs on top.[5] They followed a representative of each country carrying their flags.

Anthems and protocol

According to protocol[21] three national flags were hoisted one at a time whilst the corresponding national anthems were played: of Greece to honour the birthplace of the Olympic Games; of the host country the United Kingdom; and of Brazil, the host of the next Summer Games. The Olympic Hymn was sung by the London Welsh Male Voice Choir and the London Welsh Rugby Club Choir as the Olympic Flag was lowered and carried from the stadium. The Olympic Flag will be raised again in Sochi at the next Winter Olympics on 7 February 2014 at their opening ceremony.

Production, ratings and reviews

The creative director and choreographer was Kim Gavin.[22][23][24] Also involved was designer Es Devlin.[25] The representation of the Union Flag used as an arena centrepiece was designed by Damien Hirst.[26]

Around 4,100 performers, including 3,500 adult volunteers, 380 schoolchildren from the six original host boroughs, and 250 professionals were included in the ceremony. The celebrity performers were only paid a token £1 for their performances.[5] There were around 15 rehearsals for volunteers taking place in Three Mills Studio and at a full scale site in Dagenham, East London.[23] The overall budget for all four Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies was £80 million, which was twice the original budget.[27] With the opening ceremony set to cost £27 million, the remainder was shared across the other three ceremonies. An estimated television audience of 750 million around the world was said to have watched the event.[5]

Es Devlin said that the creators of the performance had happily indulged in the chance to "visually draw on everything" that British imagination can offer.[23] Music director David Arnold said: “It’s going to be beautiful, cheeky, cheesy, camp, silly and thrilling".[6] The Daily Telegraph reviewed the ceremony over an one hour before it had finished, and said that, although fun, it was lacking "top drawer" performers and Annie Lennox was "utterly underwhelming." However One Direction, Jessie J, Tinie Tempah and Taio Cruz shone, while the Spice Girls "got the exuberant tone exactly right", in its opinion.[28] The Independent said the ceremony was "slick, impressive, often visually startling" and "eccentric, bewildering – and shameless good fun;"[29] while the Windsor Star called it a "triumph, spectacular, technicolour pageant of landmarks, lightshows and lots of fun."[30]

Yahoo! Sports gave the ceremony a negative review, criticising a poor illustration of British music, lack of iconic musicians, and the over-prominent featuring of Jessie J. It stated: "could there be any more indignities left in this salute to British rock?"[31] MSN's music blog stated the closing ceremony was "a whole heap of cynical populist twaddle, the lowest common denominator of entertainment" and "Never has the phrase 'scraping the bottom of the barrel' been so apt."[32]

As with the opening ceremony, United States broadcaster NBC was again criticised for its coverage. Forbes said it was wrong not to air performances from Ray Davies and Muse, as well as bumping the performance from The Who by an hour in order to broadcast the pilot of the sitcom Animal Practice.[33]

References

  1. ^ "2012 Olympics closing ceremony: 'A symphony of British music': Voice of Russia". :. Retrieved 13 August 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  2. ^ "Adele and Elgar 'mash-up' to close Olympic Games".
  3. ^ "Closing Ceremony". London2012.com. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  4. ^ BBC TV and HD channel listing
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa "London ends Olympics on extravagant notes – Europe". Al Jazeera English. 4 October 2011. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  6. ^ a b c "London 2012 Closing Ceremony: here come the Spice Girls".
  7. ^ "London Olympic Games: The Closing Ceremony". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 12 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  8. ^ "The Peckham Job! Del Boy and Rodney stage escape from iconic Reliant Robin dressed as Batman and Robin (... but they were only supposed to blow the bloody doors off)". www.dailymail.co.uk. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  9. ^ As it happened: Olympics Closing Ceremony – Australian Broadcasting Corporation – Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  10. ^ BBC News (12 August 2012). "London 2012 Olympics close with spectacular ceremony". BBC News. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  11. ^ a b BBC Sport (12 August 2012). "Olympics closing ceremony live". BBC News. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  12. ^ a b "Olympic Live Blog: Closing Ceremony". The Wall Street Journal. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ a b "Beady Eye, Muse, The Who perform at Olympics closing ceremony". NME. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Barnes, Anthony (13 August 2012). "Audience of more than 26 million watched Olympic closing ceremony". www.independent.co.uk. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  15. ^ Hanna, Laurie (6 June 2012). "Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell and Rosie Huntington-Whitely to star in Olympics closing ceremony – 3am & Mirror Online". Mirror.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  16. ^ BBC News (8 August 2012). "Olympic closing ceremony 'includes Muse and Michael'". BBC News. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  17. ^ "Olympics closing ceremony:playlist". The Telegraph (United Kingdom). 12 August 2012.
  18. ^ "Feeling sad about the end of the Games? Eric Idle leads 80,000 crowd in rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life". The Daily Mail. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  19. ^ "Preview: Olympics closing ceremony". Clashmusic. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  20. ^ "Bombay Bicycle Club Get Added To Blur Hyde Park Show | News | DIY". Thisisfakediy.co.uk. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  21. ^ "Closing Ceremony Factsheet" (PDF). The International Olympic Committee. 5 June 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
  22. ^ "Profile: Kim Gavin, director of Olympic closing ceremony". BBC News. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  23. ^ a b c "Kim Gavin: profile of Cultural Olympiad ceremony director". The Daily Telegraph. London. 18 February 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2012. Cite error: The named reference "telegraph" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  24. ^ "Home". Kimgavin.com. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  25. ^ "Es Devlin". Es Devlin. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  26. ^ Williams, Richard (13 August 2012). "A raucous but poignant pageant of popular culture closes the Games". The Guardian. London. pp. 2–3. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  27. ^ Kortekaas, Vanessa (5 December 2011). "Cameron doubles budget for Olympic ceremonies". FT.com. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  28. ^ Rock and Pop Reviews. "Olympic Closing Ceremony London 2012: review". Telegraph. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  29. ^ Sutcliffe, Tom (13 August 2012). "London Olympics 2012 closing ceremony: Eccentric, bewildering – and shameless good fun". Independent.
  30. ^ "Dazzling closing ceremony extravaganza brings London Olympics to an end". Windsor Star. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012.
  31. ^ http://blog.sfgate.com/olympics/2012/08/12/the-who-spice-girls-not-enough-to-save-a-jessie-j-centric-closing-olympics-ceremony/
  32. ^ Why the Olympics closing ceremony hit all the wrong notes
  33. ^ "Is NBC's 'Animal Practice' The Most Hated Show On Television?". Forbes. 13 August 2012. Retrieved 13 August 2012. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)

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