In the final scene of Gioachino Rossini's opera "Il viaggio a Reims" (The Journey to Rheims) every foreign guest is asked by Baron Trombonok (Enzo Dara) to perform a song that reminds of his/her homeland. The Englishman Lord Sidney says he knows no songs except one: "God Save the King". He then sings the English hymn. Samuel Ramey used to finish the song with a spectacular virtuoso cadenza that even got mentioned in Wikipedia.

Berlin, 1992, Claudio Abbado conducting. The audio version of this performance has been released on CD by Deutsche Grammophon.

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