It’s official: the 2026 Winter Olympics are underway! This year, we’re in Milano, and the Italians brought their A-game to the opening ceremony: from the giant Olympic Rings flying in across the stadium, to the sequence honoring Italy’s contributions to the arts, it was really something to see! Check out the Fantasia Sequence, featuring a conductor and giant tubes of paint, with dancing music notes, coliseums and coffee pots (oh my!). Bonus factor? It also stars three composers familiar to WCRB listeners: Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini. (See if you can name all the classical pieces quoted in the number – answer at the bottom of this article!)
Puccini had a double helping of representation at the opening, with Andrea Bocelli singing “Nessun Dorma” as a lead-in to the lighting of the Olympic Flame.
As athletes from around the world compete at the highest levels, we can only guess what the closing ceremonies might bring. In the meantime, here are a few more musical moments from opening ceremonies of yore!
Torino, Winter 2006
Italy’s last time hosting the Olympics was 20 years ago, in 2006. The location? Torino (about a two-and-a-half hour drive from Milan). The moment? Luciano Pavarotti’s last public performance. The piece? Also Puccini’s “Nessun Dorma.” Due to the extreme cold, the aria had to be pre-recorded and lip-synched during the actual event, but there’s no denying the power of Pavarotti's voice or the emotional performance we see below.
London, Summer 2012
This Opening Ceremony was notable on a few counts - who could forget James Bond escorting the Queen of England into the stadium via helicopter and parachute jump? My favorite moment was Simon Rattle and the London Symphony Orchestra joined by an acclaimed soloist for one the most famous pieces dedicated to the art of running: Mr. Bean plays Chariots of Fire!
Paris, Summer 2024
Speaking of summer, let’s head over to the City of Light and the most recent summer Olympics. No stadium for this crowd, but Paris herself as the star of the show! Despite the weather, or maybe because of it (rain off and on the whole day), the spectacle was spectacular: the parade of nations had every country on their own boat, traversing the Seine from one end of Paris to the other, with all sorts of musical performances along the way. A few favorite moments below, starting with Alexander Kantarow playing Ravel’s Jeux d’eau on a bridge over the Seine as the rain fell around him:
Several performances were grouped together under titles based on the French national motto - “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” One in particular stood out, featuring the musical Les Misérables, headless Marie Antoinettes rocking out to some heavy metal, and part of Bizet’s Carmen, ending with a skytrail heart drawn over the heart of Paris. (Here’s the whole opening ceremony, but this moment starts at 46:50.)
A moment that still gives me chills was the final approach of the Olympic Flame. As the athletes pass the flame along, they run together through iconic Parisian landmarks, emphasizing the theme of these games, Unity. It all culminates in a fire-ringed balloon rising over the City of Light as Celine Dion sings Edith Piaf’s “L’hymne à l’amour” from the front of the Eiffel Tour. It’s one of the most touching endings to an Olympic Ceremony I can remember. (Once again, the full ceremony, with this clip starting at 3:54:17.)
Los Angeles, Summer 1984
LA is slated to host the next Summer Olympics in 2028. The last time they hosted was 1984, and I’ve gotta say, it’ll be hard for them to top those opening ceremonies! One sequence in particular is a favorite of this piano-obsessed radio host. Picture it: a hot summer’s day in LA, the Olympic Stadium glowing golden in the sunlight. An orchestra decked out in white tuxedos, while dancers in ethereal blue float across the front of 14 towering arches. Suddenly, the strains of Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue can be heard, as 84 grand pianos emerge, gliding forward from the arches, the pianists all in powder blue tuxes. Hard to imagine anything grander than that!
The 1984 Games also saw the introduction of an iconic musical theme, courtesy of someone near and dear to our New England hearts: the one and only John Williams! Originally written for the medal ceremonies and the opening of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, his Olympic Fanfare is still used during televised broadcasts of the games to this day. Fun fact: The piece had its premiere right here in Boston about a month before the ceremony, with John Williams conducting the Boston Pops at Symphony Hall! Here’s its first Olympic appearance in LA.
Classical pieces referenced in the Italian 2026 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies: Rossini’s “La gazza ladra” Overture, the Presto from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons: Summer,” the Triumphal March from Verdi’s opera “Aida,” Rossini’s “William Tell” Overture, Verdi’s “La Traviata,” and “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s “Turandot.”
