World in Union (Shirley Bassey single)
| "World in Union" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Kiri Te Kanawa | |
| Released | 16 September 1991 |
| Genre | Vocal, Classical, Opera |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) | Gustav Holst, Charlie Skarbek |
| "World in Union" | |
|---|---|
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|
| Single by Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel | |
| from the album Land of My Fathers | |
| Released | 11 October 1999 |
| Format | CD single |
| Recorded | 1999 |
| Genre | Vocal, Classical, Opera |
| Length | 3.45 |
| Label | Decca |
| Songwriter(s) | Gustav Holst, Charlie Skarbek |
| Producer(s) | Charlie Skarbek |
| "World in Union" | |
|---|---|
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| Single by Hayley Westenra | |
| from the album World in Union : The Rugby World Cup 2011 (The Official Album) | |
| Released | August 26, 2011 |
| Format | CD single, Digital Download |
| Recorded | 2011 |
| Genre | Vocal, Classical, Opera |
| Length | 3.20 |
| Label | Decca |
| Songwriter(s) | Gustav Holst, Charlie Skarbek |
| "World in Union" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Paloma Faith | |
| Released | 2015 |
| Genre | Vocal, Classical, Opera |
| Label | Sony |
| Songwriter(s) | Gustav Holst, Charlie Skarbek |
"World in Union", with lyrics by Charlie Skarbek, is a theme song for the Rugby World Cup that attempts to capture the spirit of international friendship which pervades rugby union culture the world over.
The melody is "Thaxted" — the stately theme from the middle section of "Jupiter, the Bringer of Jollity", a movement from Gustav Holst’s "The Planets", and was originally adapted for its use in the English/Anglican patriotic hymn, “I Vow to Thee My Country”.
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa recorded the first version of this song for the 1991 Rugby World Cup, which went to No.4 in the UK chart.
This version was released by Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel on 11 October 1999. The song was controversially mimed live by at the opening of the series in June 1999, Miss Bassey famously wearing a gown designed on the Welsh flag. Three versions are featured on the CD single: a duet from Shirley Bassey and Bryn Terfel, Shirley Bassey's solo version and finally a version which features the choirs only. The duet version is performed partially in Welsh by Bryn Terfel. The official video was filmed at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. and featured various other Welsh landscapes. The single marked a rare return to the UK singles chart for Bassey, it reached #35 in October 1999.
UK 3 track maxi CD single
Personnel
The official album of the 2011 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand was launched on 9 August by Christchurch soprano Hayley Westenra. It is released by Universal Music on August 26 and is available on CD and at iTunes and other digital providers, features 22 tracks recorded by some world-renowned classical artists. Westenra had not only recorded the song in English and Maori, as heard on this album, but also in French, Italian, and Japanese. It got No. 1 album position on the Classical Compilation Albums Chart of Official Charts as well as the Classic FM chart after releasing in UK.
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Wikipedia