From Handel to Kiri Te Kanawa, royal nuptials have inspired great performances. But what are the musical prospects for WillKat's wedding? And lo, in the distance, the pre-pealing begins with drums in the deep, trumpets on the ramparts, and massed choirs in the parade ground – yes, the royal wedding will shortly be assuming a bejewelled presence in all of our lives. And so, to celebrate the build-up of the build-up of WillKat, I want to indulge in a bit of musical soothsaying. As it was in 1981 at the conjoining of Charles and Diana, perhaps it will be again two decades later. Lest we forget, Kiri Te Kanawa sang Let the Bright Seraphim that day at St Paul's in some truly eye-watering festive rainment, as if one of Chagall's cast-offs had melted from her ruff to her ankles, serenading herself into the hearts and ears of the nation with a treacly performance of Handel's aria. And not just our nation either: Dame Kiri forced herself into the consciousness of the watching trillions, f...
↧