Ch-Ch - Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture complete with Maori
John Gray
North Hagley Park. Not a bad sort of show to a point, The Christchurch
Symphony Orchestra does quite a nice job of just about everything they
attack, even helping Dave Dobbin along. The highlight for me, and
just about every other yokel there, was going to be he grand finale of
Tchaikovsky’s "1812 Overture" complete with fireworks, the bells of
Christ Church Cathedral, the NZ Army Band and some special Canterbury
guests.
Well, the "1812", what a complete cock-up that was. The orchestra was
fine. The Army Band came in and did quite nicely with the orchestra. I
thought they lit the fireworks a little too soon, but hey, it is a
piece that can probably accommodate a little extra gunfire, so really
no serious corruption to that point. Then on came the weirdest bit. A
crowd of overweight, Maori fellows charged on doing some sort of war
dance or haka. They took over the whole piece from there on. They were
so loud that they even drowned out the fireworks. They went on and on
till the end. What a bloody disaster. It was stupid and whatever it
was, it was well and truly overdone.
Now, can anyone out there possibly tell me what a crowd of Maori
pseudo warriors are doing in the "1812 Overture"? Cannons, church
bells Frenchmen and Russians I can figure, but Maori savages I can't.
Even earlier, when the orchestra played Sebelius' "Finlandia", Maori
motifs were cast across the giant screens. That just did not fit the
music.
Some Germans asked me what the hell that war party had to do with the
"1812". They were overheard by some Kiwis who also expressed the same
astonishment. The Germans, who had been in NZ for 12 months, said
they had been hearing a lot about cultural sensitivity and suggested
that what they had just seen was a weird attempt at including Maori
into a repertoire that was a million miles away from anything relevant
to Maori. We Kiwis had to agree with the Germans.
Oh, and as the advert said, “and some special Canterbury guests”.
Well, I can’t recall if the MC told us who they were. Anyone know?
Katipo
"John Gray" <john...@here.and.there> wrote in message
news:mn9es21csuf5mklhp...@4ax.com...
Tchaikovsky must be turning in his grave!
The 1812 overture is a magnificent piece of music and to have it treated in
such a manner is disgusting.
While I enjoy watching Maori groups perform, they have no relevance
whatsoever to this music and should never have been allowed anywhere near
the stage. It was cultral insensitivity in the extreme. You can bet that if
a maori group had been preforming and a group of french people came on stage
and proceeded to drown them out with their own work there would have been
hell to pay!
-Newsman-
<john...@here.and.there> wrote:
>Last night I went to the Paul Kelly Motor Company Classical Sparks in
>North Hagley Park. Not a bad sort of show to a point, The Christchurch
>Symphony Orchestra does quite a nice job of just about everything they
>attack, even helping Dave Dobbin along. The highlight for me, and
>just about every other yokel there, was going to be he grand finale of
>Tchaikovsky’s "1812 Overture" complete with fireworks, the bells of
>Christ Church Cathedral, the NZ Army Band and some special Canterbury
>guests.
>
>http://tinyurl.com/2gvst6
>
>Well, the "1812", what a complete cock-up that was. The orchestra was
>fine. The Army Band came in and did quite nicely with the orchestra. I
>thought they lit the fireworks a little too soon, but hey, it is a
>piece that can probably accommodate a little extra gunfire, so really
>no serious corruption to that point. Then on came the weirdest bit. A
>crowd of overweight, Maori fellows charged on doing some sort of war
>dance or haka. They took over the whole piece from there on. They were
>so loud that they even drowned out the fireworks. They went on and on
>till the end. What a bloody disaster. It was stupid and whatever it
>was, it was well and truly overdone.
Do you happen to know if the inclusion of this 'incident' had been
intended, or not?
>
>Now, can anyone out there possibly tell me what a crowd of Maori
>pseudo warriors are doing in the "1812 Overture"? Cannons, church
>bells Frenchmen and Russians I can figure, but Maori savages I can't.
Inappropriate and inane. Infantile, in fact. Mindlessly inept.
>
>Even earlier, when the orchestra played Sebelius' "Finlandia", Maori
>motifs were cast across the giant screens. That just did not fit the
>music.
The 'big tune' in'Finlandia' is known world wide as Finland's national
song - a hymn to that nation's struggle for independence. To
associate such an identifiably *foreign* masterpiece with visual
motifs of some South Pacific ethnic group sounds like somebody's lost
their reason. Bizarre and grotesque describe it, and that's being
generous.
>Some Germans asked me what the hell that war party had to do with the
>"1812". They were overheard by some Kiwis who also expressed the same
>astonishment. The Germans, who had been in NZ for 12 months, said
>they had been hearing a lot about cultural sensitivity and suggested
>that what they had just seen was a weird attempt at including Maori
>into a repertoire that was a million miles away from anything relevant
>to Maori. We Kiwis had to agree with the Germans.
The Germans would have been bemused by such a display of boorish
naiveté; to them it would have been culturally crass and certainly not
the sort of thing thinking grownups would have dreamt up, let alone
have implemented.
-Newsman-
wrote:
Imagine it if you will.........
A white-as-a-sheet *pakeha* orchestra - most of them *Ukrainian*
imports, anyway - performing a work depicting a *Russian* victory over
the *French*, to the spectacle of huge, stomping brown men in skirts
rolling their eyes and lolling their tongues, and all of it lit up by
*Chinese*-made fireworks.
Presumably this is what is meant by "celebrating New Zealand's
cultural diversity"?
I just wish I could have been there!
arf@flipflop.com Apairateef
"-Newsman-" <sla...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:45c797eb....@news.clear.net.nz...
Geeeze yeah i'm feeling really embarrassed as a Kiwi reading all
this..pleased i didn't bother going..but then i hate obnoxiuous crowds
anyway.... even the news article just singled it out as a... 'haka'
http://stuff.co.nz/thepress/3952088a6009.html
Sarns
Sue Bilstein
<john...@here.and.there> wrote:
>Last night I went to the Paul Kelly Motor Company Classical Sparks in
>North Hagley Park. Not a bad sort of show to a point, The Christchurch
>Symphony Orchestra does quite a nice job of just about everything they
>attack, even helping Dave Dobbin along. The highlight for me, and
>just about every other yokel there, was going to be he grand finale of
>Tchaikovsky’s "1812 Overture" complete with fireworks, the bells of
>Christ Church Cathedral, the NZ Army Band and some special Canterbury
>guests.
>
>http://tinyurl.com/2gvst6
>
>Well, the "1812", what a complete cock-up that was. The orchestra was
>fine. The Army Band came in and did quite nicely with the orchestra. I
>thought they lit the fireworks a little too soon, but hey, it is a
>piece that can probably accommodate a little extra gunfire, so really
>no serious corruption to that point. Then on came the weirdest bit. A
>crowd of overweight, Maori fellows charged on doing some sort of war
>dance or haka. They took over the whole piece from there on. They were
>so loud that they even drowned out the fireworks. They went on and on
>till the end. What a bloody disaster. It was stupid and whatever it
>was, it was well and truly overdone.
Sounds like a royal cock-up. If it had been a paid concert, everyone
should have asked for their money back. As it was a free concert in
the park, you have to remember that when it's free, you get what you
pay for.
>
>Now, can anyone out there possibly tell me what a crowd of Maori
>pseudo warriors are doing in the "1812 Overture"? Cannons, church
>bells Frenchmen and Russians I can figure, but Maori savages I can't.
Presumably the concert organisers were making a PC gesture towards
Waitangi Day. But classical music fans in Canterbury would do well to
enquire whether the CSO has acquired its own kaumatua. If so, cancel
your season tickets.
Passacaglia C Minor
wrote:
"The Press" was a sponsor I see. That paper has turned out to be a bit
of a disaster of late. Today, on the front page they have a picture of
the Army Band with fireworks behind. The caption says:" And the band
played on: fireworks light the sky as the New Zealand Army Band plays
the 1812 Overture last night." as if it was the Army Band doing the
whole thing. Bullshit! The Symphony Orchestra was doing the hard
stuff up the back and the Army Band was complimentary, IMHO. And I'm
not knocking the Army Band, they were good. Just a pity they were
drowned out by the Maori hoods.
Sarns, the hard copy doesn't mention 'haka' as the web version does.
And it does not show Bronwyn Suzana's kids as shown in the web
version. They are described in both the hard copy and web version and
without a picture they sound irrelevant. The web version doesn't show
the hard copy's picture.
Whoever knocked out today's issue of "The Press" needs to be fired. A
terrible effort for both hard and web versions.
a_l_p
> On Tue, 06 Feb 2007 01:56:16 +1300, John Gray
> <john...@here.and.there> wrote:
>
>
>>Some Germans asked me what the hell that war party had to do with the
>>"1812". They were overheard by some Kiwis who also expressed the same
>>astonishment. The Germans, who had been in NZ for 12 months, said
>>they had been hearing a lot about cultural sensitivity
Someone should have pointed out that in NZ "cultural sensitivity" must be shown
to non-white people but is optional (or evidence of the coloniser mentality)
when shown to others.
>> and suggested
>>that what they had just seen was a weird attempt at including Maori
>>into a repertoire that was a million miles away from anything relevant
>>to Maori. We Kiwis had to agree with the Germans.
>
>
> The Germans would have been bemused by such a display of boorish
> naiveté; to them it would have been culturally crass and certainly not
> the sort of thing thinking grownups would have dreamt up, let alone
> have implemented.
I didn't see it, thank goodness. Just quietly and gently, while I steel myself
to peek through my fingers, can anyone tell me if this farce included the
wobbling of sizable man-tits.......... eeeaaarghhhh, eeewww (in anticipation).
Kinky? Moi?
A L P
jim....@gmail.com
Oooh, man, were they not half wobbly in more ways than one.
Yep, huge wobbly tits, huge wobbly beer bellies, small dicks, thick
lips, flattened nostrils, terrible home-made tattoos - you know, the
message things roughly done with indian ink and usually worn by ex
jail birds. Certainly not the image Maori these days can afford, I
think.
Jim
jim....@gmail.com
for it. Outfits, I'm sure, would have expected good quality to be
served. They got trash.
>
> >Now, can anyone out there possibly tell me what a crowd of Maori
> >pseudo warriors are doing in the "1812 Overture"? Cannons, church
> >bells Frenchmen and Russians I can figure, but Maori savages I can't.
>
> Presumably the concert organisers were making a PC gesture towards
> Waitangi Day. But classical music fans in Canterbury would do well to
> enquire whether the CSO has acquired its own kaumatua. If so, cancel
> your season tickets.
In Christchurch anything PC is possible. The bloody Maori probably now
claim to own sight and sound. They tried it on with the airwaves,
remember?
Jim
David Lloyd
wrote:
[clip]
>A white-as-a-sheet *pakeha* orchestra - most of them *Ukrainian*
>imports, anyway - performing a work depicting a *Russian* victory over
>the *French*, to the spectacle of huge, stomping brown men in skirts
>rolling their eyes and lolling their tongues, and all of it lit up by
>*Chinese*-made fireworks.
Most of the CSO are local musicians, except concertmaster, first
violin, cello etc who are mainly Russian but also other nationalities.
david
--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com
David Lloyd
<sue_bi...@yahoop.com> wrote:
[clip]
>Sounds like a royal cock-up. If it had been a paid concert, everyone
>should have asked for their money back. As it was a free concert in
>the park, you have to remember that when it's free, you get what you
>pay for.
>>
>>Now, can anyone out there possibly tell me what a crowd of Maori
>>pseudo warriors are doing in the "1812 Overture"? Cannons, church
>>bells Frenchmen and Russians I can figure, but Maori savages I can't.
>
>Presumably the concert organisers were making a PC gesture towards
>Waitangi Day. But classical music fans in Canterbury would do well to
>enquire whether the CSO has acquired its own kaumatua. If so, cancel
>your season tickets.
The concert was part of Summertimes that is run by the Christchurch
City Council. The CSO does not have a kaumatua as far as I know, but
the CCC is bound to. I have already paid for eight CSO concerts this
year, hope I get what I paid for.
Barry Lennox
wrote:
>
>"John Gray" <john...@here.and.there> wrote in message
>news:mn9es21csuf5mklhp...@4ax.com...
>> Last night I went to the Paul Kelly Motor Company Classical Sparks in
>> North Hagley Park. Not a bad sort of show to a point, The Christchurch
>> Symphony Orchestra does quite a nice job of just about everything they
>> attack, even helping Dave Dobbin along. The highlight for me, and
>> just about every other yokel there, was going to be he grand finale of
>> Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with fireworks, the bells of
>> Christ Church Cathedral, the NZ Army Band and some special Canterbury
>> guests.
Yep, one of the worst I have been to, lucky I paid $0 for it.
The sound was too soft or too loud, the Army band could barely be
heard at any time, and I don't know what's classical about DD
However, the very worst was the overwhelming boring noisy crass Maori
war dance. And WTF it has to do with the 1812 ?????
I'm willing to bet that next year they will manage to squeeze in
something that is pseudo-PC about Islam.
dersu
>
> Tchaikovsky must be turning in his grave!
Evidently cultural sensitivity is a one way street. I suppose it would be
"racist" if one were to point out to those Maori stompers that it is not
culturally sensitive to defame a splendid piece of western music with their
savage prancing.
D.
Sue Bilstein
wrote:
A haka is a fine thing. So is the 1812 Overture. Mixing the two
makes an abortion of both.
Warwick
Personally I'd be happy to never see a haka again. It has been done to
death.
--
cheers
Gib Bogle
I have to agree.
Matty F
> On Tue, 6 Feb 2007 08:54:45 +1300, "Katipo" <hami...@eggstra.co.nz>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >"John Gray" <john...@here.and.there> wrote in message
> >news:mn9es21csuf5mklhp...@4ax.com...
> >> The highlight for me, and
> >> just about every other yokel there, was going to be he grand finale of
> >> Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" complete with fireworks, the bells of
> >> Christ Church Cathedral, the NZ Army Band and some special Canterbury
> >> guests.
>
> Yep, one of the worst I have been to, lucky I paid $0 for it.
> The sound was too soft or too loud, the Army band could barely be
> heard at any time, and I don't know what's classical about DD
>
> However, the very worst was the overwhelming boring noisy crass Maori
> war dance. And WTF it has to do with the 1812 ?????
For many years the 1812 Overture has been played at the end of the
Concert in the Park (Auckland Domain) to somewhere between 100,000 and
200,000 people.
The sound from the real cannons knocks you in the chest. The
spectacular laser display and fireworks help the performance I think.
There's not a haka to be seen or heard.
-Newsman-
<oddly...@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>On Mon, 05 Feb 2007 21:43:10 GMT, sla...@hotmail.com (-Newsman-)
>wrote:
>[clip]
>
>>A white-as-a-sheet *pakeha* orchestra - most of them *Ukrainian*
>>imports, anyway - performing a work depicting a *Russian* victory over
>>the *French*, to the spectacle of huge, stomping brown men in skirts
>>rolling their eyes and lolling their tongues, and all of it lit up by
>>*Chinese*-made fireworks.
>
>Most of the CSO are local musicians, except concertmaster, first
>violin, cello etc who are mainly Russian but also other nationalities.
>
According to the most recent count I have to hand, the CSO has 39
tenured players. Of these, 19 have Russian names. These 39 permanent
members are then augmented with ring-ins as and when required,
perilous funding permitting. These supporting extras are frequently
drawn from the ranks of the NZSO and other orchestras and
universities.
The tenured assistant concertmaster, principals and co-principals of
the 2nd violins, violas, cellos and basses are all Ukrainian. This is
highly significant since it is the quality of the top players in the
string sections that largely determines the cohesion and tonal quality
(sonority) of the whole ensemble.
The trombone section is a heady mix of Russian and Bulgarian (and
sounds like it!).
You may remember a North and South article of a few years ago
detailing the big CSO upset where, it seemed, Ukrainian players were
being imported at knock-down salaries to play like angels for a
pittance thus putting the local talent's noses out of joint - and out
of work.
Maybe it's all quite different now. But perhaps not - the last time I
was at Christchurch Town Hall working with the CSO those gifted
Ukrainians were still there, well embedded and still leading the way.
Geopelia
Wasn't Tchaikovsky gay? Maybe next time they should have a Hero Parade
instead of the Maoris.
Would it be any more inappropriate?
Why didn't they let the Germans take part too, as Napoleon's (or Hitler's)
soldiers retreating, complete with artificial snow machines.
Either have the 1812 as a real classical piece, or make it into free-for-all
fun.
I wonder how many of the crowd would know the difference?
Geopelia (who prefers the original version)
John Waterman
wrote:
>Were any real guns taking part, or just fireworks?
>
There were a couple of cannon type guns that sounded real and the let
out a pretty impressive flash. They were a wee way away from me so
wether they were dummies or real was a bit hard to determine. Pretty
immpressive, though.
>Wasn't Tchaikovsky gay? Maybe next time they should have a Hero Parade
>instead of the Maoris.
>Would it be any more inappropriate?
>
>Why didn't they let the Germans take part too, as Napoleon's (or Hitler's)
>soldiers retreating, complete with artificial snow machines.
>
>Either have the 1812 as a real classical piece, or make it into free-for-all
>fun.
>I wonder how many of the crowd would know the difference?
>
Geo, I doubt that the majority would know what was what. I've been to
quite a few of those concerts. The early ones were good and the
programs were classical, popular and not too heavy, but wide ranging.
After a while they started to bring in the non-classical stuff and
progressively things got junky.
Over the years fireworks became an obligitory feature. The fireworks,
sadly, attracted the dimwitted crowds who only went to see the
fireworks at the end. I stopped going because the noise level and
loud talk drowned out the music. I thought I'd go again and took my
grand children along. We got a spot right up the front. Was really
pleased to get so close. Thought we would miss the humm and chatter
from the great unwashed up in the back paddock. Sadlly the crowd up
front were no better than the back paddock crowds that I had endured
years before. Hardly anyone was seriously interested in the music -
the dummies and their dopey rug rats were simply waiting for the
fireworks. From now on I will stick to real town hall concerts.
>Geopelia (who prefers the original version)
>
Good on you.
Barry Lennox
wrote:
>Were any real guns taking part, or just fireworks?
Yes, they were real, but I think they are replica cannons with black
powder, loads of smoke, but barely louder than some of the freworks.
A couple of years back, they used light guns (105mm) with blanks, and
you feel those through every bit of your body
Incidentally, the fireworks display was very good, one of the best I
have seen there. Sure made the Maori haka party wail!
Brian Dooley
>On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 10:24:56 +1300, "Geopelia" <phil...@xtra.co.nz>
>wrote:
>
>>Were any real guns taking part, or just fireworks?
>
>Yes, they were real, but I think they are replica cannons with black
>powder, loads of smoke, but barely louder than some of the freworks.
>A couple of years back, they used light guns (105mm) with blanks, and
>you feel those through every bit of your body
If you get too close firing live it feels as though you've been
slapped all over. Somewhere there should be a lot of deaf gunners
around. Nobody wore ear defenders when I was in the RA.
>
>Incidentally, the fireworks display was very good, one of the best I
>have seen there. Sure made the Maori haka party wail!
>
--
Brian Dooley
Wellington New Zealand
bharmer
<bri...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>
>On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:16:38 +1300, Barry Lennox
><bt.l....@spamgourmet.com> wrote:
>
>>On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 10:24:56 +1300, "Geopelia" <phil...@xtra.co.nz>
>>wrote:
>>
>>>Were any real guns taking part, or just fireworks?
>>
>>Yes, they were real, but I think they are replica cannons with black
>>powder, loads of smoke, but barely louder than some of the freworks.
>>A couple of years back, they used light guns (105mm) with blanks, and
>>you feel those through every bit of your body
>
>If you get too close firing live it feels as though you've been
>slapped all over. Somewhere there should be a lot of deaf gunners
>around. Nobody wore ear defenders when I was in the RA.
I don't recall that you have any significant hearing impairment,
Brian?
Brian Dooley
Except once by accident I never got too close, but the gun
numbers would be practically on top of their gun.I've seen
several (probably) photos of the Alamein opening barrage eg
http://www.rsa.org.nz/review/art2002october/article_1a.html
and never seen any ear protection. On the other hand you might
remember a photo of a Light Gun banging off at night near Basra
in 2003. I can't find it through Google, but I'm pretty sure that
the gunners will all be wearing ear defenders. Here's another
one, but not the best:
http://www.army.mod.uk/29cdoregtra/op_telic.htm
Geopelia
"Brian Dooley" <bri...@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
news:6rjls25qm8ntd4104...@4ax.com...
doing one of the phone jobs, safety watch etc.
I think that may be why my ears ring. I've got used to it and it doesn't
bother me.
I wonder if the British Government would pay for a hearing aid though, if I
ever need one.
The 1812 would be great with our enormous guns. But the Wintergarden glass
might be shattered! ( I wonder if we could hit the Skytower from the
Domain?)
To be authentic, it should be horse artillery. That would be a great sight,
racing up to the orchestra.
Geopelia
george
> "Brian Dooley" <bria...@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
>
> news:6rjls25qm8ntd4104...@4ax.com...
>
> > On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:43:27 +1300, bharmer
> > <brian.har...@ihug.co.nz> wrote:
>
> >>On Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:35:15 +1300, Brian Dooley
> >><bria...@paradise.net.nz> wrote:
>
> >>>On Wed, 07 Feb 2007 21:16:38 +1300, Barry Lennox
>
> >>>>On Wed, 7 Feb 2007 10:24:56 +1300, "Geopelia" <phildo...@xtra.co.nz>
the Home Valley so there's one in the Army Museum you could use
Geopelia
"george" <gbl...@hnpl.net> wrote in message
news:1170962644.2...@p10g2000cwp.googlegroups.com...
I suppose a trotter could be trained to pull a gun. I had one for a while as
a Herd Tester. .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Brian Dooley
Wouldn't you need a full team of trotters. They have to be
specially trained because they go in different directions when
they go round corners.
Geopelia
.
.
.
..
Brian Dooley
>I wonder if the Queen would spare some of the coach horses..
Have you watched the King's Troop RHA performing at the Tattoos?
Geopelia
(snip)
>>>>>> To be authentic, it should be horse artillery. That would be a great
>>>>>> sight,
>>>>>> racing up to the orchestra.
>>>>>>
>>>>> Some years ago they found a complete horse artillery set of harness in
>>>>> the Home Valley so there's one in the Army Museum you could use
>>>>
>>>>I suppose a trotter could be trained to pull a gun. I had one for a
>>>>while
>>>>as
>>>>a Herd Tester. .
>>>
>>> Wouldn't you need a full team of trotters. They have to be
>>> specially trained because they go in different directions when
>>> they go round corners.
>>>
>>I wonder if the Queen would spare some of the coach horses..
>
> Have you watched the King's Troop RHA performing at the Tattoos?
> --
>
> Brian Dooley
>
Only on TV, but aren't they a great sight!
Geopelia
Brian Dooley
>Only on TV, but aren't they a great sight!
And quite dangerous.
Geopelia
>
> On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 16:26:16 +1300, "Geopelia"
> <phil...@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>
>>
>>"Brian Dooley" <bri...@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
>>news:5uaqs2lqo9lk6ude4...@4ax.com...
>>> On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 01:32:02 +1300, "Geopelia"
>>> <phil...@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>>
>>
>>(snip)
>>>
>>> Have you watched the King's Troop RHA performing at the Tattoos?
>>>
>>Only on TV, but aren't they a great sight!
>
> And quite dangerous.
> --
>
> Brian Dooley
>
Or maybe not, there would have been injuries to the horses. Let's have
gladiators instead.
Geopelia.
.
.
.
...
Warwick
>>
>> And quite dangerous.
>> --
>>
>> Brian Dooley
>>
> Wouldn't it be good if they could revive Roman chariot racing!
>
> Or maybe not, there would have been injuries to the horses. Let's have
> gladiators instead.
>
> Geopelia.
> .
I can think of a few people I'd like to see being fed to lions.
--
cheers
Geopelia
"Warwick" <no...@nowhere.com> wrote in message
news:1dburov5h2nhf.q00dv9t5ejbw$.dlg@40tude.net...
And according to Ovid, it's a great place to pick up girls..
Brian Dooley
On Tue, 13 Feb 2007 10:32:52 +1300, "Geopelia"
<phil...@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>
>"Brian Dooley" <bri...@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
>news:l1mvs25eum7vfsj1q...@4ax.com...
>>
>> On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 16:26:16 +1300, "Geopelia"
>> <phil...@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>>"Brian Dooley" <bri...@paradise.net.nz> wrote in message
>>>news:5uaqs2lqo9lk6ude4...@4ax.com...
>>>> On Sat, 10 Feb 2007 01:32:02 +1300, "Geopelia"
>>>> <phil...@xtra.co.nz> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>(snip)
>>>>>I wonder if the Queen would spare some of the coach horses..
>>>>
>>>> Have you watched the King's Troop RHA performing at the Tattoos?
>>>>
>>>Only on TV, but aren't they a great sight!
>>
>> And quite dangerous.
>> --
>>
>> Brian Dooley
>>
>Wouldn't it be good if they could revive Roman chariot racing!
>
>Or maybe not, there would have been injuries to the horses. Let's have
>gladiators instead.
The casualty rate for the chariot drivers was exceptionally high,
which is why the chariot races were so popular. A total write-off
was called a 'shipwreck'.