The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #151426 Message #3534201
Posted By: Ron Davies
05-Jul-13 - 09:03 PM
Thread Name: Tchaichovsky 1812 Overture: Themes
Subject: RE: Tchaichovsky 1812 Overture: Themes
I think it's fascinating that Tchaikovsky said the piece was "completely without artistic merit, obviously written without warmth and love". But it's constructed quite well--great program music. I love it--especially if the opening chorale is in fact the Troparion actually sung, rather than played (though I play viola)--the chorale is really stirring.
Of course I understand Tchaikovsky wrote this piece at the same time as the Serenade for Strings--which he loved, I do too. So it's reasonable that he placed his affections on the Serenade.
In fact my group (Choral Arts Society of Washington) was asked to sing it this year (again) on the DC Mall. But I turned it down, having been warned in a dream that it would be a Readers Digest version--would only be the top 3 minutes (well, 7 minutes) of the piece. It irks me beyond belief that they don't think the crowd can stand the whole overture--"hey, just skip to the cannons already". Admittedly I'm not an impartial observer--it's really wonderful stuff for the chorus--if you do the whole thing, vocal version. And the group did get some good stuff. But it was chorus interruptus (just wanted to say that; actually the main chorus parts the group missed were at the start.)
But c'mon--the US public isn't quite so Philistine as to not be able to take the whole overture. I hope.
And my dream also predicted that we would have to back up Barry Manilow. That's when I woke up, sweating buckets of relief that I had not signed up. Since not only was the dream totally accurate, but we would also have had to share the stage with Neil Diamond. Which in fact the group did. I would have shot myself.
Anyway, I really like a version I have with Erich Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops (but more to the point, the Kiev Symphony Chorus). Children's Choir of Greater Cincinnati is also on it. The combination of good adult chorus and a children's chorus is quite powerful, as in Carmina Burana and other pieces we've done.
But at any rate, thanks for that deconstruction of the piece. I think you're right; the line you cited was a bugle call.