How many wonderful classical music pieces have been ruined for you? Let’s count the ways: used in tv or movies, overplayed on the radio, spruced up with a disco backbeat, or – worst yet – spurious lyrics added.

We experienced it all last night.

It was billed as the Last Night of the Hallé Proms. Not the legit concert at the Royal Albert Hall, but the Manchester version thereof.

Very promising program: Dvorak, Borodin, Bizet, Puccini, some lesser known stuff and then the patriotic British stalwarts. One soprano, Camilla Roberts, who has a glorious voice. Excellent orchestra and enthusiastic conductor, Stephen Bell. A chorus waited patiently for the finale.

Who hasn’t heard excerpts from Carmen ten thousand times? Borodin’s Prince Igor has been played to death (although you may not recognize the name, you would certainly have heard it countless times.) I guess it’s the nature of these concerts to function as an Introduction to the Classics. Little smatterings, small doses, nothing too long, nothing too heavy.

The kicker was the closing pastiche. Woods’ Fantasia on British Sea Songs  By the last song, the audience began spontaneously clapping. The conductor responded by including us in his directions. Remember, this is a British audience. Clapping.

Arne’s Rule Britannia. No comment.

Jerusalem. Oh, please, please, please can someone explain those lyrics to me? Why are we supposed to think Jesus ever walked on England’s green and pleasant land?

And last but oh, so, very not least: Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance. With added lyrics to become Land of Hope and Glory. With flags.

Oh, yes, there were plastic Union Jacks waved about by the majority of the audience. The conductor was so excited, we had to repeat it.

I rather felt like the naughty kid at the high school pep rally who didn’t sing the school anthem. But that’s  okay, I was there with two Canadians  who were also flummoxed  by this display of  British patriotism.

Just to be inclusive, the Euro flag was also prominently displayed onstage, although the prevailing flavor was, “Let’s go back to being English, shall we?”