The Music from the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games
Performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and conducted by David Charles Abell, the new music created for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games was composed especially for the event by Martin Koch and Nick Gilpin, the team responsible for the orchestration and music arrangements of Broadway hits Billy Elliot and Mamma Mia. Co-artistic directors, Jenny Sealy and Bradley Hemmings, created the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Paralympic Games. They promised that ‘Enlightenment’ would be a spectacular celebration of the inspirational spirit of the Paralympic Games that challenges the perceptions of human possibility.
Groundbreaking in its inclusivity and innovative staging, the Ceremony showcased the excellence of deaf and disabled artists and opened with a fly past by ‘Aerobility’, a British charity that trains disabled people to become pilots. The Ceremony, took place on Wednesday 29 August in the Olympic Stadium, and included an Adult Volunteer Cast of over 3000, a Children Volunteer Cast of over 100 and a Professional Cast of over 100. 50 Specialist performers in the London 2012 Paralympic Games Opening Ceremony took part in an eight-week circus skills training programme.
The specially created album features a new version of ‘I Am What I Am’, the Gloria Gaynor classic performed by Beverley Knight, alongside the Rihanna and Jay-Z hit ‘Umbrella’ and eleven new compositions by the Tony Award winning, Grammy nominated pairing of Martin Koch and Nick Gilpin.
As with Olympic Opening and Closing Ceremony the music from the Paralympic Opening Ceremony was made available for download at midnight on the day of the event.
Download Enlightenment – Music for the London2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony at iTunes here
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Click here to see our Definitive Track Listing for the Opening Ceremony
Download Isles of Wonder – Music for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics at iTunes here
Buy Isles of Wonder – Music for the Opening Ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics at Amazon
Buy the BBC's theme to the Olympics – First Steps by Elbow at Amazon
(*Not available at iTunes)
Full Track-listing of Enlightenment – Music for the Paralympic Opening Ceremony
London Symphony Orchestra – Prologue
London Symphony Orchestra – Jasmine’s Theme
Various Choirs – Principia
London Symphony Orchestra – Spirit In Motion
London Symphony Orchestra – Declaration Of The Games
London Symphony Orchestra – Paralympic Anthem
London Symphony Orchestra – Brave New World
London Symphony Orchestra – Handel: Eternal Source Of Light Divine
London Symphony Orchestra – Navigation
London Symphony Orchestra – Storm
London Symphony Orchestra – Gravity
London Symphony Orchestra – Masque
Orbital – Where Is It Going? (Paralympics Mix) / Spasticus Autisticus
London Symphony Orchestra – Glass
London Symphony Orchestra – Entry Of The Flame
Beverley Knight – I Am What I Am
Various Choirs – National Anthem
Rihanna Featuring Jay-Z – Umbrella (Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel Radio Edit)