The last time a world record attempt was made in Canberra it involved 69 cars doing a burnout. On Saturday night, the capital was once again in the mood to break records, except this time it involved more high-brow hootin' and a hollerin' than high-performance vehicles.
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As Wallabies fans licked their wounds after defeat by the Lions, the sold out audience at the Canberra Symphony Orchestra were clapping, singing and tapping their toes for what they thought was a Guinness World Record attempt.
During the encore of the CSO's latest grand gala series, Bernstein on Broadway, conductor Nicholas Milton had the 1400-strong audience fooled into thinking they were going to be a part of history.
Following the rousing finale featuring a spectacular medley of the West Side Story score, Mr Milton turned to the audience and asked for their assistance.
"Tonight we have representatives from the Guinness World Book of Records as we are going to attempt to set a new world record for the most people singing Leonard Bernstein's Mambo! with a full orchestra. I've just had the go-ahead from the people recording it and now I need your help," he said.
As the CSO members began to play the catchy tune, Mr Milton instructed the seated fans, including chairman of the CSO board Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston and Australia Council CEO Tony Grybowski, when to sing.
It was not a world record attempt but it was an audience participation ploy executed perfectly by maestro Milton.
"It must have been something Nic [Milton] came up with on stage, it wasn't planned,'' a CSO representative said.
Before the ''deafening wall of sound'', the conductor breezed through the Bernstein on Broadway program, a back catalogue of Leonard Bernstein's most popular works.