Almost 70% of the British public support the idea of a classical ‘theme tune’ played by a full orchestra for the 2012 Olympic Games, according to a new poll conducted on behalf of the Association of British Orchestras (ABO). The ICM poll of 2,000 people asked what kind of theme music they would like to represent the London 2010 Games, and to vote for their favourite theme for a previous sporting event. Forty per cent chose Verdi’s ‘Nessun Dorma’, which was used as an anthem for the 1990 Football World Cup, and a quarter named ‘World in Union’ which was the 1995 Rugby World Cup Theme, using a melody by Holst. The poll also found that 69% of respondents felt that classical music in films contributed to their enjoyment of the film, with more than a third agreeing that they were influenced to listen to more classical music by hearing it in films. A spokesperson from London 2012 told AP that while it welcomes the interest and discussion, it has not made any decisions yet. He was confident that the Games “will cover all genres of music from classical through to popular through to world music”.
