Swedish Wedding Of Prince Carl Philip Is Royal Musical Miss

Non-Operatic Pairing: Prince Carl Philip with 
his bride Sofia. See the full program of the
 wedding ceremony by clicking here.

HRH Prince Carl Philip of Sweden married Sofia Hellqvist on June 13, 2015, in The Royal Chapel of The Royal Palace. Following the footprint for the nuptials of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Silvia Sommerlath, assembling guests were treated to "compositions for Royal Weddings" by Johann Sebastian Bach, Johan Helmich Roman, and George Friederic Händel. That would be the end of the classical music for this ceremony. What followed was the inclusion of non-traditional music such as "Athair ar Neamh" by Enya for the Procession,  "Fix You" by Coldplay (sung by Salem Al Fakir) before the Intercession, and "Joyful, joyful" (sung by Samuel Ljungblahd) at the Bridal Recession. No surprise that a love of pop music runs in the family, as his parents were treated to an ABBA concert at the Royal Opera the night before their wedding in 1976. As this trend toward lack of vocal music at young royal weddings continues, will opera singers be banished from these events in the future? There is a plethora of actively performing Swedish sopranos and mezzo-sopranos that could have been engaged for this special occasion, including Anne Sofie von Otter, Miah Persson, Nina Stemme, Katarina Karnéus, Ann Hallenberg, and more. Check out videos of the country's overlooked singers (including Peter Mattei), after the jump.

Royal Baby Will Light Up Opera House In New Zealand

"One of Wanganui's most historic buildings will be bathed in light the night after the birth of the new royal baby. The city is joining the nationwide 'light-up' initiative, organised by Monarchy New Zealand, which will mark the birth of the first child for Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge. The due date for the royal baby is today. The Royal Wanganui Opera House will be lit in pink or blue - depending on the gender of the baby - on the night following the announcement of the birth. Mayor Annette Main said lighting up the Opera House was an appropriate way to recognise the birth of a future King or Queen of New Zealand. 'Wanganui already has an association with the royal family, with Prince Edward having lived here during his time as a junior master at Wanganui Collegiate in 1982,' Ms Main said. The Opera House celebrated its centennial in 1999. In October that year it was given a Royal Charter as part of the centennial celebrations, changing the name to the Royal Wanganui Opera House." [Source]

Kate Middleton (aka Duchess of Cambridge) As Benefactress?

In addition to supporting opera and ballet,
the Duchess (as depicted here by Zoran Zarre)
may be an advocate for art as well.

"The Duchess of Cambridge famously entrusted her future father-in-law with helping her choose the music for her wedding. And he did her proud, particularly with Sir Hubert's 'I Was Glad' which played as she walked down the aisle. But it wasn't the first time she turned to Prince Charles for musical advice and education. The pair have been making secret visits to London's Royal Opera House since well before Catherine got married. A Royal Opera House source told The Telegraph: 'The Duchess of Cambridge and the Prince of Wales have made several private visits to the Royal Opera House together, before and since the royal wedding in April, to watch several opera and ballet productions. 'The Prince is a firm supporter of the Opera House and the Duchess also seems to hugely enjoy her visits to Covent Garden. Both have been very enthusiastic about the productions they have seen together.'" [Source]

Renée Fleming Sings Mozart at Royal Wedding in Monaco

If you can suffer the Russian chatter of the announcers and the work being cut off early, you can get a glimpse of Renée Fleming singing "Laudate Dominum" by Mozart for the royal wedding of Prince Albert to Charlene Wittstock. Other soloists included Andrea Bocelli and Juan Diego Flórez. After jump is a complete list of musical selections from the ceremony.

Music For the Royal Wedding - A Listener's Guide

For those playing along in the "Guess the Wedding Music" edition on Opera Fresh, match some of the original posts with the final list released for the royal nuptials tomorrow:



"Fantasia in G" (Piece d'orgue a 5) BWV 572 - Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)


"Veni Creator Spiritus" - Peter Maxwell Davies (b. 1934)


"Prelude on St Columba" Op 101 no 6 - Charles Villiers Stanford (1852-1924)


"Sonata for Organ" Op 28, i. Allegro maestoso, ii. Allegretto - Edward Elgar (1857-1934)



"Serenade for Strings in E minor" Op 20, i. Allegro piacevole, ii. Larghetto, iii. Allegretto - Edward Elgar (1857-1934)

The Royal Wedding Music Gets Official Announcement

Not even Prince Poppycock will sing for the wedding.

No opera singers. That seems to be the message of Prince William and his bride-to-be Catherine Middleton. Representatives from Clarence House made the announcement for the April 29 ceremony and here's who will be participating in the ceremony:

* The Choir of Westminster Abbey

* The Chapel Royal Choir

* The London Chamber Orchestra

* The Fanfare Team from the Central Band of the Royal Air Force & The State Trumpeters of the Household Cavalry

So all bets are off if you were you were weighing in on the Opera Fresh poll of available singers for the event, but there could still be a chance to guess what music will be on the playlist. Perhaps Sir Peter Maxwell Davies may not be alone in skipping the ceremony. [Source]

Royal Wedding Music, Part 4: Regal Playlist For the Big Day

THE CEREMONIAL MUSICAL OFFERINGS

Trying to sidestep vocal showpiece clichés for weddings, here are some musical suggestions to consider for the nuptials of the future King & Queen of England. Click on the title of each piece to launch the music sampling:
"O Magnum Mysterium"(Lauridsen)
"The glittering sun begins to rise" The Morning (Arne)
"Te Deum" (Pärt)
"IX. Nimrod" Enigma Variations (Elgar)
"Down Ampney" (Vaughan Williams)
Romance in E flat major for string orchestra, Op. 11 (Finzi)
Toccata and Fugue in d-minor (arr. Max Reger) (Bach)
Totus Tuus, Op. 60 (Górecki)
"Eternal Source of Light Divine" Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne (Händel)
Movement #3: "Larghetto e piano" Concerto Grosso in B Minor, HWV330 (Händel)
"Kyrie" Messe solennelle in C sharp minor (Vierne)
"A spotless rose" Three Carol Anthems (Howells)
"Like as the Hart Desireth the Waterbrooks" [Psalm 42] (Howells)
Rhapsody Op.17, No1 (Howells)
"Amo ergo sum," A Wedding Anthem, Op. 46 (Britten)

Royal Wedding Music, Part 3: Past Services of the Monarchs

HISTORY OF MUSIC AT THE ROYAL WEDDINGS

(click on photo to launch video excerpt)

Wedding: Prince Charles & Camilla Parker Bowles
Location: Windsor Guildhall (Civil Ceremony) & St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle (Blessing)
Date: April 9, 2005
Soloist: Ekaterina Semenchuk sang "Veruyu" (The Creed) by Gretchaninov

Wedding: Prince Andrew & Sarah Ferguson
Date: July 23, 1986
Estimated audience: 500 million
Musical highlights: Elgar's "Triumphal March" from Caractacus and William Walton's "Crown Imperial."
Soloist: Arleen Augér sang "Exsultate, jubilate" K. 165 (Mozart)

Wedding: Prince Charles & Lady Diana Spencer
Date: July 29, 1981
Location: St. Paul's Cathedral
Estimated audience: 600 million - 1 billion
Musical highlights: Jeremiah Clarke's "Trumpet Voluntary," "I Vow to Thee, My Country," Sir Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance."
Soloist: Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sang "Let the Bright Seraphim" Samson (Händel)

Royal Wedding Music, Part 1: Will There Be An Opera Singer?

The future heirs to the monarchy.

Which singer will be chosen as soloist for the royal wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton on April 29, 2011? Dating back to the first royal wedding held at Westminster Abbey, King Henry I and Princess Matilda of Scotland back in 1100, music has become a long-held tradition in the United Kingdom for these blissful occasions. It was not until the wedding of the current Queen Elizabeth (back in 1947) that trends began to emerge, like the couple personally selecting hymns and classical music pieces for processionals and recessionals. The question on everyone's mind is whether or not William and Catherine will stick with tradition or surround their entire ceremony in a decidedly contemporary flair with performers such as Elton John, Sting and Katy Perry. Let's pretend in a perfect scenario that a singer of renown will be selected to not only enter the hearts of 1 billion viewers but also represent the art form of great singing to the world, and I am most certainly not talking about Katherine Jenkins, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Russell Watson, Susan Boyle or even the group Il Divo. Given the tradition of late, a soprano soloist

Flashback to 1981: William's parents getting hitched.

would be appropriate but which of the world's greatest opera divas could possibly perform at the royal wedding on the designated date? In a four-part series, you will find out which singers are available, a brief history of music at recent British royal weddings and a sample list of recommended selections for the special event. [Source]