Jessye NORMAN sings Anthem of United Kingdom

[Stuartmills7uk]

Wow!

[sherifahassan]

booooooooooooooooooooooooooooo­oooooooo

[4FabBEATLES]

this what makes England special- they accept diversity- in musical styles and people

[baritonebynight]

So if HM Queen Elizabeth II decided to sing this, would she have to sing "God save the gracious me, long live the noble me, God save me..."

[YORKIEYORKYORK]

I am crying my eyes out , what a singer .

Words can not convey what my heart is telling me .

[mamelucoderribado]

goood god, the face on her majesty is like : "we are not amused"

[sarmadasco]

Mme. Norman is astounding in eery note she sings and every breath she takes. Imperial. So, so, Imperial.

[nooyawkfun]

Just watch her lips and listen to her articulation! Holy cow! Simply the standard by which all operatic divas should be measured. Well done, Dame Norman.

[nguseneggest]

ab fab!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God save the Queen!

[simpaticvs420]

Imagino o que é para um ser humano ter tamanha responsabilidade sobre seus ombros, não. Não quereria isto para mim.

[belcunto]

ok, i'm a fan of another school of singing - i like coloratura sopranos like callas and sutherland - BUT

my laptop chassis has NEVER vibrated the way it does when jesse norman sings!

[sveikoso]

That was just beautiful!  Well done and thanks for sharing.

[gtownlad77]

WOW can you image how the Queen felt standing there at that moment with Jessye belting out GSTQ and only she can and the pride that her family must have felt at that moment to be her family. WOW Makes you proud to be a Brit and I'm a Texan Haha

[nzoperamad]

the best rendition I have also ever heard, you go USA!!!

[mc0558]

A lot of blood and guts in the French national anthem, but stirring nontheless.

The British National Anthem is easy to remember and easy for every kind of voice to sing. I was there recently and it seems that Australians play it quite frequently. I was surprised.

[belcunto]

@mc0558 oh... not so much anymore i'm afraid. we have to keep hush hush about loving QE2 or we get persecuted by republican wingnuts.

Nowadays - in Australia, at least - we are more likely made to recognise the traditional land owners (dinosaurs?) before anything else.

[Itoh2Itoh]

As a British citizen I would swap the divine Jessye for any and all British monarchs. Not only is she a truly great singer, she is also a great beauty. Lets get her on the postage stamps.

[operawhore64]

makes one want to BE the Queen!!!

[gtownlad77]

wow makes you want to be British!!

[eutuve]

RRenowned British conductor Sir Edward Thomas Downes, CBE, has died at the age of 85, after travelling to the assisted suicide clinic Dignitas with his wife.

He and his 74-year-old wife Joan, who was terminally ill, chose to end their lives at the Swiss clinic, their family said in a statement.

According to the statement, the couple "died peacefully, and under circumstances of their own choosing". .I.P.

[qyzuf]

interesting point. I agree that Jesse has a superior voice, intellect and also a great range. Sometimes though it's important to know when to not showcase your tallents to serve the piece and the flow - i think that's her achiles heel

[harpguy18]

why is it that other countries have great anthems unlike us usa?

[mc0558]

I think The Star Spangled Banner is a fine song.

My favorite of those I have heard are the UK's, Canada's, Spain's, Columbia's, Germany's, Finland's, France's, Russia's, China's and Japan's.

[qyzuf]

most anthems are stupid. mc0058 makes some nice suggestions - I also like the Israeli and Bulgarian ones, which are unique in that they are written on a minor scale

[Shanniquitie]

you like the 'fake' ones... they have no history

[qyzuf]

how would you define fake? I like the ones that aren't another superficial military march. The Israeli anthem has a history, it's based on a folk song. The Bulgarian anthem is indeed new, but it's a reaction against war manifested by replacing a war march with a minor key song about nature. That moves me more than having history...

[Shanniquitie]

These anthems speak to a nation through the centuries. They're not brand new fabrications or re-worked 'folk' songs. They're expressions of national identity distilled through time. If you don't respond to the aesthetic, that's fine - but it's a failing on your part, not an objective reality.

[qyzuf]

failing...or maybe just a different take.

Can you give me more example of "national identiy distilled through time" anthems? Do you acknowledge that many anthems are silly marches?

[mc0558]

God Save the King became popular during the years immediately after the French Revolution, when there was a lively radical element in Britain who wanted to bring the same kinds of liberties the French had won to Britain. Or I should say "apparent liberties", for soon it became clear that the French had only got a different kind of tyranny. But before this reality became manifest, tories who stood for the old regime in Britain sang this song on public occasions to show where they stood!

[punkred1]

wonderful. Jessye is fab.

[mish80]

oh. my. stars. jessye, WHAT what were you thinking?

[eddihaskell]

Go Blue!

[charice22]

is it customary to look at the queen when this is sung?

[mc0558]

yes

[charice22]

well that's annoying. what if the queen had a booger? gross....

[mc0558]

It could not happen!

[loaactnow]

LOL

[MrHand1926]

yes

[colibridelapampa]

Jessey is the real Queen!!!

[mc0558]

Jessey is indeed a great Queen--a great artist.

Elizabeth is a Queen of a different kind--The High and Mighty Elizabeth, but the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her Realms and Dominions beyond the Seas, Queen, Defender of the Faith and Supreme Head of the Commonwealth. That's the kind of Queen she is, which Jessey is not. But never mind, Jessey is a stupendous artist and it was wonderful to hear her sing our national anthem.

[mc0558]

An interesting historical artifact- I left out the "&c." [et cetera] after "beyond the Seas". This et cetera stands in place of "France".

By the 1763 Treaty of Paris, ending the 7yrs War, the King of France agreed to stop supporting the Stuart claimant to the British throne and the King of Great Britain agreed to drop his claim, dating back to Edward III, that he was King of France. The tail end of that hangs there in this inexplicable form: et cetera or "and so forth."

[johnathangibbs]

they should replace the queen with Jessye.

[mc0558]

Both are doing very well precisely where they are.

[qyzuf]

agreed...Jesse is far a better drama queen

[HaiLsKuNkY]

@colibridelapampa offensive! 

[anyardsroad]

Jessye Norman seems to have cornered the market in singing other countries' national anthems. Has she ever sung the "Star spangled banner" in public? If so, would someone please put it up so we can see what she makes of trying to match the words to the tune !!

[jonomu]

yes she has she sung it at some presidential thing when hilary and bill were in office.

[BernardProfitendieu]

Hilary wasn't in office - she was just the wife, remember? Check the Constitution.

[britishnic]

I have never heard our anthem sang so beautifully. Wow! Until now I've always hated this song.... but my goodness!

Queen Jessye!!!!! :-)

[kumpakan]

no please!!!! what are you doing, Jessye????

[musicadei]

That hat! Work Jessye!

[leontyne2]

now we know where she got that accent!

[lifesavers234]

Jeez, what creative words... let's see how many times in a row we can say the same thing... haha

[newhotmailit]

amzing, got save tha queen jessye...!!!

[Milordvega]

This is the BEST rendition of the UK anthem I have ever heard, and she is not even British! What a voice!

Thanks for putting this. What great taste you have! Can you put up something by Dvorak or Smetana?

[BravaBerganza01]

Hi, I´ve put here finale from Rusalka in interpretation of great slovak singers Gabriela Benackova and Peter Dvorsky. Enjoy! :)

...and thanks for nice comment!

[godivapaw]

Wonderful! God save the Queen!!!

[cashmerequeen]

This bow by Miss Norman before Queen Elisabeth at the end of this film... I am sure the Queen would act in the same way for Jessye Norman. She seemed very much impressed by her unique voice. Thank you BravaBerganza01 for sharing this Clip. Very beautiful.

[sketL]

God Save The Queen, it's the national anthem of the United Kingdom.