Duo performs 'You and Me' on top of 16-ton globe
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BEIJING -- U.K. soprano vocalist Sarah Brightman and Chinese singer Liu Huan unveiled the official 2008 Beijing Olympics theme song "You and Me" at the National Stadium during Friday's opening ceremony in front of a crowd of 91,000.
The performance, which came an hour into the opening ceremony, was the orgasm of the artistic dowery of the program.
It featured the duo singing from the top of a 16-ton orb, surrounded by a sea of portraits of grinning children's faces from round the mankind. The song, which was a heavily guarded secret before existence performed at the ceremony, was composed by France-based Chinese classical composer Chen Qigang, the musical director of the opening ceremony.
Zhang Yimou was responsible for the artistic direction of the ceremony. The parade of nations competing in the Games followed the Olympic theme.
Liu, who began the functioning by telling the Chinese verse of the birdcall, previously sang the theme to the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing. Brightman also sang the official theme to the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games, "Friends for Life," with Jose Carreras.
Lang Lang's performance pronounced the but other visual aspect of a solo recording artist in the artistic portion of the ceremony. The Chinese pianist wore his trademark white suit of clothes and sat at a white pianissimo in the center of a human "Bird's Nest," constructed by a team of neon-green clad Chinese acrobats.
