The Paris Olympics medal ceremonies were soundtracked by Philip Sheppard’s unique versions of the world’s national anthems.
Abbey Road Studios posted:
As the Paris Olympics come to an end, we wanted to shout out Philip Sheppard – the man behind all 205 national anthems for the winners’ Olympic ceremonies!
Back in 2011, Philip Sheppard conducted, rearranged and edited all 205 anthems alongside the London Philharmonic Orchestra and engineer Jake Jackson in Studio Two. This epic project took 52 hours and will be used on all Olympic events up until 2036!When offered the job, Philip was tasked with researching each individual anthem himself. “They’re not given to you,” said Philip. “Luckily I’m in love with the British Library, and I do enjoy the investigative side of it.”His brief was a mixture of imaginative latitude and tight restrictions. “I’ve been very careful with the German anthem, because who am I to change Haydn’s harmony? But with the American anthem, I’ve thought ‘We all know which chords go there, but what if we went down this different road?’ How that will go down I don’t know.”
As we celebrate the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics today, let’s appreciate the incredible work behind these anthems. Here’s to you Philip!
