The BBC Symphony Orchestra performs during the final night of the BBC Proms festival, at the Royal Albert Hall, in London, on Sept. 12, 2015.Neil Hall/Reuters
The BBC has reversed course and announced that the lyrics to Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory will be sung on the final night of its annual music festival.
The British broadcaster caused a storm of controversy last week when it said only instrumental versions of the anthems would be played during the Last Night of the Proms on Sept 12. The decision came after a new row broke out over long-standing accusations that the lyrics to both pieces are racist and glorify colonialism.
After taking heat from viewers and politicians, the BBC has backed down.
“Both pieces will now include a select group of BBC singers,” the broadcaster said in a statement Wednesday. “This means the words will be sung in the [Royal Albert Hall], and as we have always made clear, audiences will be free to sing along at home. While it can’t be a full choir, and we are unable to have audiences in the Hall, we are doing everything possible to make it special and want a Last Night truly to remember. We hope everyone will welcome this solution.”
The decision was applauded by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who prefers a warts-and-all version of British history.
“I do think this country is going through an orgy of national embarrassment about some of the things that other people around the world love most about us,” Mr. Johnson said. “People love our traditions and our history with all its imperfections. It’s crazy for us to go around trying to censor it. It’s absolutely absurd, and I think we should speak out loud and proud for the U.K. and our history.”
Both songs have been a key part of the annual Last Night festivities for almost 70 years, and people gather in parks across the country to sing along to the BBC orchestra and chorus. But in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, the lyrics have come under renewed scrutiny, with many critics saying they celebrate Britain’s imperialist past.
Rule, Britannia! originates from a poem by James Thomson and was set to music by Thomas Arne in 1740, when Britain dominated the slave trade. The chorus includes the lines “Rule, Britannia! Britannia, rule the waves! Britons never, never, never shall be slaves,” which critics say implies that it’s all right for others to be enslaved.
The lyrics to Land of Hope and Glory were written in 1902 by poet Arthur Christopher Benson. He is believed to have drawn inspiration from the last will and testament of mining magnate Cecil Rhodes, who championed British imperialism and bequeathed his fortune to promoting “the extension of British rule throughout the world.”
Some traditionalists blamed guest conductor Dalia Stasevska, 35, who reportedly wanted to reduce the patriotic elements of the program. She denied that, and the BBC said the decision not to sing the lyrics was based on COVID-19 restrictions.
“The pandemic means a different Proms this year, and one of the consequences, under COVID-19 restrictions, is we are not able to bring together massed voices,” the BBC said Wednesday. “For that reason we took the artistic decision not to sing Rule, Britannia! and Land of Hope and Glory in the Hall. We have been looking hard at what else might be possible and we have a solution.”
The change of heart coincided with the BBC’s new director-general, Tim Davie, starting work this week. Mr. Davie ran the broadcaster’s commercial arm, BBC Studios, before taking over the top post on Sept. 1. He replaced Tony Hall, who served in the position for seven years.
It’s not clear if Mr. Davie ordered the about-face, but he has reportedly told staff that he wants to overhaul the broadcaster and remove any perceived bias in its programming.
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Paul Waldie