Britten's "Malaysian National Anthem" that never was

[Nick Armstrong]

Intriguing: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-34417765

Not sure everyone would agree with the sweeping statement in the last sentence of this paragraph, however (Prince of the Pagodas, anyone?)

"Britten - composer of the opera Peter Grimes and the exhilarating Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra - is the last person you would expect Malaysia to have approached. His music couldn't have sounded more British, for a start."

[vinteuil]

... Malaysia (as ev'ry school child know) didn't exist in the 1950s. I think they mean 'Malaya'.

Malaysia came into being in 1963.

[mercia]

I thought he spent more than a few hours there. Aren't there photos of him and PP in sarongs etc. or was that somewhere else ?

[Nick Armstrong]

I thought he spent more than a few hours there. Aren't there photos of him and PP in sarongs etc. or was that somewhere else ?

Bali? Lowestoft?

[mercia]

you're right - Lowestoft it was, my mistake

[MrGongGong]

. "His music couldn't have sounded more British, for a start." [/I][/B]

Here he is in Bali







This is rather good IMV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3PacNDMneE

[vinteuil]

... probably Ceylon. In which case, lunghis rather than sarongs ...

[Nick Armstrong]

... probably Ceylon. In which case, lunghis rather than sarongs ...

Th'art in didactic mood today, o vinous one....

[Beef Oven!]

Get the shorts!!!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

you're right - Lowestoft it was, my mistake

Lowestoft sarong - Bali was a'right:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=britten+images,+bali&espv=2&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&imgil=L85UbiuRqdX45M%253A%253BcEZv0fiEP9DZwM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fabeastinajungle.com%25252Fbrittens-wonderful-box-of-chocolates%25252F&source=iu&pf=m&fir=L85UbiuRqdX45M%253A%252CcEZv0fiEP9DZwM%252C_&usg=__n5g6_AXSN4dlvU5616KrKpir4yk%3D&ved=0CCkQyjdqFQoTCIfn5qGupMgCFQbVFAodZlYFPQ&ei=ccUOVsfqCIaqU-aslegD#imgrc=L85UbiuRqdX45M%3A&usg=__n5g6_AXSN4dlvU5616KrKpir4yk%3D

[Nick Armstrong]

Lowestoft sarong - Bali was a'right

... it took a while to get to the bottom of that



Talking of which...

.... here he is in his birthday lunghi

[Lat-Literal]

To go to the Naxos site for an hour or so and to consider "composers by country" is to realize it isn't the place from which to be able to contribute significantly to Beef Oven's very good "Commonwealth" thread. There is a composer for almost every Commonwealth country but generally it is just one and it is the composer of its National Anthem. My main impression is most composers of NAs didn't do anything else of note. A key question might be which ones who composed NAs were significant in their own right as was Britten.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Talking of which...... here he is in his birthday lunghi

"I don't care if it is his birthday - he doesn't get a table if he hasn't got a tie!"

[teamsaint]

"The Party? Oh i thought i'd go as Bruckner"

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Now that's what I call an opera buff.