©Audrey and Patrick Scales, 2009 *

Sport and music go hand in the hand: the sense of anticipation before a big game starts is perfectly accompanied by a stirring number; an ‘80s movie training montage would be nothing without pumping synthetic beats alongside the Lycra, and who can say they don’t extract pleasure from watching our football players stumble over the words to the national anthem?

The World Cup 2010 promises to be a sensory feast: the most skilful players in the world competing for the glory and adoration of their home countries. As the footballers train in earnest, each competing country has started producing official and unofficial songs of support and hope. Some will enter the contemporary canon. Others will be consigned to the bargain bin.

But the historical connection between classical music and football is cemented and some of the most successful modern classical interpretations have benefitted from their association with the sport.

Twenty years ago, Nessun Dorma, from Puccini’s Turandot, became synonymous with football after its inclusion in a concert by The Three Tenors, Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo and José Carreras, to open the 1990 World Cup in Rome. Pavarotti’s recording of the aria was subsequently used by the BBC as the theme tune to their coverage of the competition and thus entered the pop lexicon – and the British charts. His emergence as a global superstar being due to football would have delighted Pavarotti – he started out as a football player in his home town of Modena before pursuing a musical career instead.

Pieces chosen by the BBC to accompany their football coverage can subconsciously become aligned with the sport. As a precursor to the Euro 2008 tournament, the BBC played a trailer featuring Tchaikovsky’s Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D major, performed by David Oistrakh and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Although only shown on British television a few times, the piece is still associated with the competition and crops up on ‘football anthems’ compilations.

The South African tenor Siphiwo Ntshebe had been chosen to sing at the opening ceremony of the 2010 World Cup on 11th June, where he was to perform ‘Hope’ a composition of his own. Tragically, he died after contracting meningitis on Tuesday May 25th, aged just 35.

Even the official pop music affiliated with football isn’t oblivious to the influence of classical: The Farm’s ‘Altogether Now’ was the official song of the England team during the Euro 2004 tournament. It is also used as the theme tune for Sky Sports football coverage. The song is melodiously referential to Johann Pachelbel’s Canon in D, borrowing elements from the chord sequencing.

And, conversely, the world of classical music has been influenced by football. The Royal Opera House is running a programme of short operas called Opera Shots from June 18th until June 26th comprising of one half hour performance entitled ‘Ingerland’. Jocelyn Pook’s new operetta is an exploration of the lot of the football fan, featuring terrace chants and a chorus of singing WAGs (wives and girlfriends, to the uninitiated).

Many other great works have been filtered into the public consciousness through an affiliation with football: Handel’s Zardok the Priest, Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre and Wagner’s Ride Of The Valkyries, to name but a few. Perhaps there is a parallel to be drawn between the majesty of an emotive piece of music and the physical poetry possible within a game of football. Or perhaps the employment of breathtakingly beautiful music feeds into the sense of anticipation so much a part of being a spectator.

Either way – football and classical music now share a rich history, and if that exposes people to new experiences of music – and sport – then all the better.

 

 

* The image in this article is copyright of Audrey and Patrick Scales and is licenced for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence