What leaps straight into view when you type a national anthem performance search on YouTube is nearly always dominated by performances given of the American National anthem.
Here then, is where we’ll open, with what claim to be the best performances of this country’s anthem.
Best National Anthem Performances
Instead of beginning with the tenth-ranked version of the American National Anthem, I’m reaching straight for the top. Interestingly, Jimmy Hendrix’s 1970 Woodstock rendition only achieves a tenth place in this selection.
Hitting the high notes and number one, this site (WatchMojo) believes that Whitney Houston captures the spirit of the country best in her performance.
This now famous performance was given by Houston in January of 1991 at the Tampa Stadium, Florida, USA. Not only did Houston have a seated audience at the stadium of nearly 74,000 fans but an estimated 15 million viewers on television.
Witney Houston is accompanied on this occasion by the Florida Orchestra. Whether you are in any way inclined to national favour this performance does raise goosebumps. The power, timing and sheer control in Houston’s voice make this a truly moving rendition of this well-known anthem.
Hopping nation seamlessly, we move on to a stirring performance of the British National Anthem from the 2012 Promenade Concert Series.
The Promenade Concerts date back many decades to their founder Sir Henry Wood whose ambition was to bring Classical music to a wider audience. They were intended to be a walk-in (promenade) series of concerts promoting British and later global music making.
It has long been a tradition on the last night of the Proms for Hubert Parry’s rousing choral setting of Jerusalem to be followed by the National Anthem; God Save The Queen.
Jiri Belohlavek conducts the BBC Symphony Orchestra in this beautifully sculpted and passionate performance of that anthem.
Interestingly, the music for what is now ‘God Save The King’ was written by an unknown composer although there has been speculation that it could have been the work of English composer Henry Purcell.
Our quest turns back across the pond to the wonders of the Canadian National Anthem. This particular anthem. ‘O Canada’, was only given its status in 1980.
Previously, as you would expect, ‘God Save The Queen’ had been the official anthem. It has now been moved to be the royal anthem of Canada. Calixa Laellée (1842-1891) penned the music to ‘O Canada’ around 1880 with words originally by Robert Stanley Weir.
This performance is given by a trio of gentlemen who go by the collective name of ‘The Tenors’. Each takes the opportunity to sing a line of the song that leads into a smoothly handled harmony section.
The voices are closer to musical theatre performers than the opera stars they may be modelling themselves on, but the performance is moving, honest and ably delivered to the admiration of the waiting crowd.
This is a delivery of the Australian National Anthem from the Sydney Olympic Games twenty-two years ago in 2000. The occasion was a monumental one and the polish shown in this performance is worthy of admiration.
The sheer scale and scope of this opening concert are vastly impressive. I find the stage alone very impressive, and just how they managed to control the quality of sound is remarkable.
The four-part acapella group Human Nature open the anthem supported by the rich sonorities of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Their part-singing is flawlessly conveyed with beautiful attention to balance and expression.
Next appears the singer and entertainer Julie Anthony who brings the anthem to its naturally dramatic climax.
There are no holds barred on this performance not only in terms of star singers but with a symphony orchestra and a fanfare of natural trumpets too. Inspiring from beginning to end.
Above is a link to one of the finest performances I could uncover of the New Zealand National Anthem, ‘God Defend New Zealand’. This performance was given at the Rugby World Cup final between New Zealand and France in 2011.
It has received an impressive 5.5 million views. Taking the centre spotlight is a New Zealand vocalist called Hayley Dee Westenra (B. 1987).
Westenra is often referred to as a crossover singer meaning that she has received classical training but her career has orientated her more towards the popular market than the operatic.
She has a crystal-clear voice that effortlessly soars above her accompanying musicians in this performance. Westenra’s delivery is professionally handled and suitably emotional. There are an array of albums of her work now in circulation, the most recent being ‘Hushabye’ from 2013.
If you’re not familiar with the sound of a Welsh choir then perhaps it’s something to investigate when time permits. The singing tradition in Wales is renowned and there really isn’t another choral sound on earth that comes close to the Welsh choirs.
This performance of their National Anthem was back in 2013 just before the Welsh rugby side beat the English.
The strength of passion in the voices is unmistakable. Unusually, this traverses the terraces as well as the rugby players who you can hear belt out this anthem with raw power and conviction. The spirits were high and the Welsh triumphed over the English.
Perhaps not the best capture of the German National Anthem, but undeniably one of the most invigorating.
The anthem itself seems to me to have many of the characteristics one wants or expects to hear in an anthem. Its phrasing and harmony are beautifully crafted to galvanise a nation and impress anyone listening.
This performance comes from the 1996 Euro Final. Germany is in excellent spirits.
Whilst the haircuts might have dated somewhat, this rendition certainly has not. Both the German team and spectators give their best here with the pre-match energy bursting through with every line.
The supporters and team are crowned by the soprano voice of Anna Maria Kaufmann whose international reputation justifiably follows before her. Altogether this is one of the most inspired deliveries of the German National Anthem.
Of all the performances listed here, I find this one the most incredible. There is a freshness and a sparkle to this recording that makes it stand out for me. This is an enlightened arrangement of the South African National Anthem stunningly performed by the Ndlovu Youth Choir. From their YouTube channel, with 192,000 subscribers, it’s possible to see and understand why they have become one of the most followed and adored choirs in the world. Formed in 2009 they have established themselves as a choral ensemble with tight choreography and an abundance of energy in every song. This performance is as infectious as their others and stands as a well-deserved credit to the professionalism and magnificence of their singing.
This performance of ‘The Flower of Scotland’ given by Amy MacDonald in November 2018 is one of the very best I’ve discovered.
What I love about this account of the Scottish National Anthem is not only its power and conviction but the pure passion with which MacDonald dispenses the song.
Her performance at ‘King Tut’s Wah-Wah Hut’, does not have the polished finish of a symphony orchestra or the might of the Coldstream Guards, but what it does have is a gutsy honesty that gives you a clear sense of MacDonald’s love of her country that is rare.
All this she delivers with an acoustic guitar and a single SM58 microphone.
More of an instrumental version of the Dutch National Anthem, but one that I feel is certainly noteworthy. The whole performance is led by superstar violinist André Rieu.
In this account of the anthem, Rieu takes charge of the mass Dutch concert goers at Maastricht in the Netherlands in 2014. The orchestra that supports and delivers an impassioned performance is the Johann Strauss Orchestra.
What makes this memorable is the committed singing from the audience whose faces seem to project their love of their country and the music they are singing.
‘La Marseillaise’ has a strength of purpose many National Anthems just do not possess. When you combine this with the imaginative power of composer Hector Berlioz, you create a formidable song; the French National Anthem.
In this arrangement by Berlioz the tenor Roberto Alagna produces a commanding performance of this anthem.
Critical comments have been a little harsh regarding the vocal capabilities of Alagna, but for me, the fervency and muscularity of the performance capture the spirit of the words and Berlioz’s arrangement. The concert took place in 2006.
Not a performance that has gained the full acceptance of every viewer. Perhaps the group who perform the Irish National Anthem, the High Kings are viewed as a little overly popularity.
Nevertheless, this rendition of the anthem has a style and appeal that has understandably also attracted considerable praise. It is contemporary in sound that seamlessly combines the folk tradition with the world of popular music.
A compelling performance that certainly raises the mood and reminds us just what a tremendous anthem the Irish one is.