Customer Reviews

Diana, Princess of Wales, 1961-1997: The BBC Recording of the Funeral Service

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The end is chillingly beautiful!! Over the sounds of the Coldstream Guards pallbearers' feet, the choir sings John Taverner's "Alleluia" live in the most gripping version ever. Then, there is a pause which seems endless. Suddenly, the great bells of Westminster Abbey erupt with a heart-wrenching, echoing antiphony of distinctly English change-ringing which eventually fades away forever, just like the lost Princess.

Many of us got up early to watch the funeral on TV, most have also seen it innumerable times in television programs and videos. For your money you get a live recording of the funeral services which means that there will be sounds that were not filtered out as a studio recording would be. An example of this is Elton John's performance of "Candle in the Wind", several times you can tell that his mouth got very close to the microphone.The jewel case booklet appears to be a miniature of the funeral program with additional explanatory notes inserted at the appropriate times

I bought this CD originally to listen to the great hymns (especially the one, "I Vow to Thee,..." tune written by Holst, which caught my ear on the television broadcast) where it is rare to have recordings of congregations singing. However, there are so many other good reasons, including the fine readings (in particular the Corinthians passage surperbly interpreted by Tony Blair), the prayers and the Tavener "Allelulia".

The funeral service of one of the most well-known members of the Royal Family brought this nation together like no other event. How thoughtful it was of the BBC to record the ceremony, at which the music was brilliantly performed and the readings were so heartfelt. I strongly suspect that of all the music, the two tracks that will live for ever in everyone's minds will be Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" and John Tavener's "Song for Athene", both of which were fitting tributes and added something to the ceremony that nothing else could. Other highlights for me include the Purcell "Funeral Sentences", Tony Blair's reading of the lesson, "Though I speak with the tongues of men" and the courageous tribute by Earl Spencer, worthy of the applause it received. This is a disc of precious memories so touchingly and magnificently preserved. Even so, there are those who I am sure may find it too heartbreaking to purchase- I will admit to being one of them.

Prior to the recent death of Pope John Paul II, the funeral service of Diana, Princess of Wales stands out in recent history as one of the most dramatic, most watched, and most awe-inspiring in majesty and scope. Perhaps the tragedy that surrounded her death made the event even more poignant. Taking place at Westminster Abbey, the Funeral Service followed a fairly standard Anglican pattern of liturgy, but had certain additions and flairs that befit the style of life of the Princess.

The readings on this recording are preserved; this is not simply the music from the service, but includes the tribute readings done by Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes, and Prime Minister Tony Blair, as well as the somewhat shocking statement read out by her brother, the Earl Spencer, who said much in emotional tenor that people felt but were afraid to say.

The music includes some hymns and service music pieces that are familiar and favourites of Diana. These include pieces by well-known composers such as Holst and Verdi, as well as a prelude by William Harris, the National Anthem (God Save the Queen), and the stunning 'Alleluia' at the end by John Tavener, modern composer from the Orthodox tradition, whose haunting strains cast a tone of reverence and mystery over the entire proceeding. Perhaps the more bizarre (but not entirely inappropriate) piece was a modification of the song, 'Candle in the Wind', performed by Elton John in honour of Diana.

In some ways, it feels as if the funeral were conducted only yesterday, and in other ways, that it is a lifetime ago. Not even ten years have passed since the funeral on Saturday, the 6th of September, 1997. The world is a different place, but Diana's image remains a strong one in the minds of all who knew her, and of most who knew of her. This album is a loving tribute, and a great remembrance.

I dedicate this review to Bob Zeidler, fellow Amazon reviewer. May he also rest in peace.

This album retraces the most shared deremony in the world; people who have followed it can't take frome their memory the majesty of the funeral cortege in Kensington garden. It is like a play a tragedy that climaxes when the choir starts the hymn make me a channel of your peace and the soprano finishes this song. The song frm Derry county I would be true, pure brave and strong, friend, giving humble i would lookup laughlive and love gives some hope and the shakespeare sonnet makes you one time so compassionate you may really think your song has helped diana rise in the air.

Why there has never been a BBC-produced DVD of Diana, Princess of Wales' 1997 state funeral at Westminster Abbey remains a mystery. It still stands as one of the most watched events in television history. Did the families' wishes or the muddy circumstances surrounding Diana's untimely death influence that decision? We'll probably never know. But the Beeb did produce an excellent recording of the service that remains one of the most moving and memorable events in recent history. I feel lucky to have the CD and its accompanying text booklet; both are now very hard to find, especially in good condition.

The recording includes the somber tolling bell that marked the beginning of the service; the running engines and closing doors of the motor vehicle that transported the princess's body; the shuffling feet of the escorts that accompanied her cortege in and out of the cathedral; the remarkable applause that followed The Earl Spencer's courageous eulogy (I clapped too); and the magnificent Westminster peal that rang out as the casket was taken away for burial at Althorpe.

IMO the most memorable moments of this recorded service are:

-- Verdi's Libera me, Domine, de morte eternal, movingly sung by soprano Lynne Dawson and the BBC Singers;

-- PM Tony Blair's sensitive reading of Paul I Corinthians 13, the apostle's letter on love;

-- Elton John performing Candle In The Wind (Goodbye English Rose), a revision of his own song about Marilyn Monroe. The actress's worldwide fame, troubled personal life and tragic early death were mirrored by Diana;

-- the aforementioned tribute to the princess delivered by her brother. The Earl Spencer bravely voiced what we all felt about the Royal Family's treatment of Diana, the cuckolded young wife and loving mother of two possible future kings, and about the paparazzi that literally chased her to death;

-- the highly unusual series of personal prayers composed and read by the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury;

-- the rousing rendition of Cwm Rhondda, the beloved Welsh Rugby Union anthem; and

-- John Tavener's stunning Song For Athena, sung a capella by the choir as the princess's body was escorted from the Abbey. The haunting Byzantine-style hymn with its Shakespearean-Greek Orthodox text raised the hair on my neck; it still does today.

In summary, this now-rare CD captures the remarkable funeral service for "the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana whose beauty, internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds." We should all be so well and fondly remembered.

I thought this was going to be a video recording of the funeral but it is only the audio. Very well done and I am thankful to have found it as the live video of her funeral I had was lost during a recent move. By far, the most moving musical scores are the National Anthem, the Hymn: I vow to thee, my country and the Hymn: Guide me O Thou Great Redeemer. When the Messiah ben David comes, I hope he hires the British to choreograph his ascension to the Throne of David!!! No one puts on a regal fete like the British--no one! Diana's memory is well served in this memorial to her life.

I thought that after all this time I would never find a copy of this haunting event. I received it quickly and in pretty good shape Thank you so much

I will never forget when I first heard the news about the death of Princess Diana. My mother told me about it late one evening in late August, 1997 (I had just started my senior year in high school). I was completely shocked and in total disbelief over the news. Diana was not only the Princess of Wales, but I feel that she was the Princess of everyone, internationally. Nobody will ever forget hearing the news of her passing. She lived to be 36 years old, and left us way too soon, as the result of a car crash in Paris, France. The tragedy became another one of the most bizarre occurrences to take place in the crazy 90s. The funeral was even poignant, as I got to watch and tape it from a couple of networks (as it was on most of the channels). you get excellent music, brilliant readings, and Elton John singing his memorable hit, Candle in the Wind. He had recorded it back in the early 70s as a tribute to Marilyn Monroe, remade it in the late 80s during one of his tours, and in 1997, for Diana (for this version, the lyrics were changed so that they would focus on Diana, and not Marilyn Monroe, of course). I bought this CD when it came out, and is great to listen to. i have not heard it for a while, but it is nice and peaceful. The booklet even conatins the program of the service, and the times that each song and reading happen. When listening to this CD, you almost feel as if you were there in person, paying homage to a magnificent woman who touched everyone's lives around the world. Now, she lives in Heaven with God, and is watching over everyone. God bless you and your family, Diana! Your memory lives on!!!