Coronation of King Charles III

[(poco) Sforzando]

Yes and I think Charles himself wouldn't mind eating one. 

Oh no! Chuck is a very picky eater.

[Florestan]

https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/rule-out-royal-exemptions/?link_id=5&can_id=cac911ca9380c6d6d18d89ed341ce42d&source=email-a-letter-to-the-king&email_referrer=email_1905540&email_subject=a-letter-to-the-king


Our monarchy has exempted itself from 160 laws since 1967. Laws ranging from animal welfare to workers rights.

The exemptions include most of the taxes we all have to pay. Taxes on a family worth billions while three million children, their subjects, live in poverty.

Now we have an opportunity to change that. Ask King Charles to rule out any further royal exemptions.

Were I a Brit, I'd willingly sign the petition on condition that it list all those 160 laws and their corresponding royal exemptions by name and date.

[Florestan]

Oh no! Chuck is a very picky eater.

Yes, I know. He loves Romanian food and beverages. 

[Roasted Swan]

So what did folk think of the music/performances/new works etc etc?

My two pennyworth - some really great playing and singinging (by the choirs).  Not so keen on a couple of soloists by Roderick Williams a class act as always.  Thought the pre-service "concert" was good - perhaps Pappano had a bit of an adrenalin burst in Jupiter and Crown Imperial (or perhaps he had someone in his ear telling him to hurry up!).  "I was Glad" and Walton "Te Deum" just spectacular in this context.

Without exception (possibly the Roxanna Panufnik was the best) I thought the new works were bang average - disappointingly mundane Doyle March and the Lloyd-Webber was his usual formulaic self - right down the the "Memory" modulation half way through.

The other thing that struck me - music is SUCH a major component of the ceremony whether you loved it or hated it.  So "we" rely on the skills and talents of all these musicians and performers on occasions such as this but of course 99% of the rest of the time CM is marginalised and its "value" in society debated.  But along comes a big state occasion and we expect all the players (including the excellent military bands and trumpeters etc) just to be able to pull this kind of standard out of a bag.  Everybody gets suitably congratulatory about how us Brits can really pull off ceremonial stuff like this and then music goes back to the margins again..... until the next time.......

[Mandryka]

Impressive ceremony. Long live the King! --- and may Hal turn into Henry once again. 

Penny Mordaunt looked good, with that zombie knife

[Papy Oli]

So what did folk think of the music/performances/new works etc etc?

My two pennyworth - some really great playing and singinging (by the choirs).  Not so keen on a couple of soloists by Roderick Williams a class act as always.  Thought the pre-service "concert" was good - perhaps Pappano had a bit of an adrenalin burst in Jupiter and Crown Imperial (or perhaps he had someone in his ear telling him to hurry up!).  "I was Glad" and Walton "Te Deum" just spectacular in this context.

Without exception (possibly the Roxanna Panufnik was the best) I thought the new works were bang average - disappointingly mundane Doyle March and the Lloyd-Webber was his usual formulaic self - right down the the "Memory" modulation half way through.

I listened to the full pre-concert segment of Gardiner with a 15 minutes delay on the Radio 3 stream (after getting annoyed by the commentators' interruptions on the live TV). Loved those works, the Bruckner motet was superb.

My attention drifted away during the Pappano segment, I'll have to listen again.

I particularly liked the rendition of Byrd's Mass for four Voices during the ceremony.

The other thing that struck me - music is SUCH a major component of the ceremony whether you loved it or hated it.  So "we" rely on the skills and talents of all these musicians and performers on occasions such as this but of course 99% of the rest of the time CM is marginalised and its "value" in society debated.  But along comes a big state occasion and we expect all the players (including the excellent military bands and trumpeters etc) just to be able to pull this kind of standard out of a bag.  Everybody gets suitably congratulatory about how us Brits can really pull off ceremonial stuff like this and then music goes back to the margins again..... until the next time.......

There were quite a few comments to that effect on Twitter as well, in relation to budget cuts for musical organisations.


On a separate note, I'd recommend having a look the BBC documentary "Coronation Tailors: Fit for a King" on I-player, going behind the scenes inside the historical British firms hand-crafting the uniforms, tunics, helmets, buttons, etc for all the pageantry...including the dog mascot.  It was fascinating and adding an extra appreciation to the events of today.

[Papy Oli]

Penny Mordaunt looked good, with that zombie knife

As seen on twitter, "she's held that sword up longer than Liz Truss has been Prime minister".

[Florestan]

Penny Mordaunt looked good, with that zombie knife

Oh yes, btw --- who is this babe who seems to have been the master of ceremony when it came to Charles going up and down and left and right? 

[Florestan]

Prince Louie was delicious --- had he been broadcasted live he'd have stolen the show. The child is the father of the man.

As for Prince Harry... honni soit qui mal y pense (pun). 

[Todd]

And to think it's 2023.

[Florestan]

Among the hundred thousand people enthusiastically attending in the streets, I've noticed a grand total of 5 (five) placards reading "Not My King" --- and I had a vivid feeling that they, too, rightfully belonged there, undisturbed by, and undisturbing, the overall mood. UK public spirit at their best. My unrepentant politically Anglophile self rejoiced greaatly.

[vandermolen]

So what did folk think of the music/performances/new works etc etc?

My two pennyworth - some really great playing and singinging (by the choirs).  Not so keen on a couple of soloists by Roderick Williams a class act as always.  Thought the pre-service "concert" was good - perhaps Pappano had a bit of an adrenalin burst in Jupiter and Crown Imperial (or perhaps he had someone in his ear telling him to hurry up!).  "I was Glad" and Walton "Te Deum" just spectacular in this context.

Without exception (possibly the Roxanna Panufnik was the best) I thought the new works were bang average - disappointingly mundane Doyle March and the Lloyd-Webber was his usual formulaic self - right down the the "Memory" modulation half way through.

The other thing that struck me - music is SUCH a major component of the ceremony whether you loved it or hated it.  So "we" rely on the skills and talents of all these musicians and performers on occasions such as this but of course 99% of the rest of the time CM is marginalised and its "value" in society debated.  But along comes a big state occasion and we expect all the players (including the excellent military bands and trumpeters etc) just to be able to pull this kind of standard out of a bag.  Everybody gets suitably congratulatory about how us Brits can really pull off ceremonial stuff like this and then music goes back to the margins again..... until the next time.......

+1 for Penny Mordaunt!
She looked fabulous

As for the music I thought that the Lloyd Webber was awful - couldn't stand it. I thought the Paul Mealor was good and I really like Walton's Coronation Te Deum and 'Zadok the Priest'. Roderick Williams and Bryn Terfel were fine. None of the other pieces written for today impressed me at all. Oh yes, a thumbs up for Parry's 'I Was Glad'. The scaled down fly-past and Balcony appearance were fine. The religious service in the Abbey conformed to the unofficial rule that no religious service is ever shorter than you think it's going to be.

[ChamberNut]

Among the hundred thousand people enthusiastically attending in the streets, I've noticed a grand total of 5 (five) placards reading "Not My King" --- and I had a vivid feeling that they, too, rightfully belonged there, undisturbed by, and undisturbing, the overall mood. UK public spirit at their best. My unrepentant politically Anglophile self rejoiced greaatly.

I liked the sign that one person had: "The only good King is Burger King". 😂

[Florestan]

I liked the sign that one person had: "The only good King is Burger King". 😂

Oh yes, I'll take BG over McDonalds any time.

[Luke]

Among the hundred thousand people enthusiastically attending in the streets, I've noticed a grand total of 5 (five) placards reading "Not My King" --- and I had a vivid feeling that they, too, rightfully belonged there, undisturbed by, and undisturbing, the overall mood. UK public spirit at their best. My unrepentant politically Anglophile self rejoiced greaatly.

Only 5 because the police (having agreed that a peaceful protest could take place, and what the wording on the placards would be etc.) seem to have swooped in and arrested a number of them this morning whilst they were unloading their van. Something of a scandal unfolding here.

[Florestan]

Only 5 because the police (having agreed that a peaceful protest could take place, and what the wording on the placards would be etc.) seem to have swooped in and arrested a number of them this morning whilst they were unloading their van. Something of a scandal unfolding here.

If a genuine scandal, let the press expose it.I am all for it.

[Mandryka]

Among the hundred thousand people enthusiastically attending in the streets, I've noticed a grand total of 5 (five) placards reading "Not My King" --- and I had a vivid feeling that they, too, rightfully belonged there, undisturbed by, and undisturbing, the overall mood. UK public spirit at their best. My unrepentant politically Anglophile self rejoiced greaatly.

The police were very proactive, agressive (but not violent as far as I know), arresting people on grounds of suspicion. The government here is increasingly authoritarian - my Romanian friends here all think we're sleepwalking into something nasty, they say that Romanians can see it clearly because it happened there.

[Florestan]

The police were very proactive, agressive (but not violent as far as I know), arresting people on grounds of suspicion. The government here is increasingly authoritarian - my Romanian friends here all think we're sleepwalking into something nasty, they say that Romanians can see it clearly because it happened there.

Well, I am Romanian yet I cannot and do not see it, sorry.

[Todd]

'A Human-Rights Nightmare.' Anti-Monarchy Protesters Have Already Been Arrested at King Charles III's Coronation

Oh dear.  Hopefully, after Chucky III passes on or abdicates, or whatever monarchs do, Billy V handles things a bit better.  Optics and all.

[(poco) Sforzando]

Chuckles gets a big parade and millions of Brits can't pay their electric bills.