MusiLLection

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky ’s 1812 Overture embodies Russia’s national spirit, celebrating the nation’s triumphant victory over Napoleon. In 1880, while working on the radiant Serenade for Strings , Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky undertook the composition of a “ceremonial introduction” for an exhibition of industrial art in Moscow. For its subject, he chose Napoleon’s campaign against Russia—an episode that culminated in the decisive victory of the Russian army. Originally conceived for outdoor performance, the composer imagined the piece as something “very loud and noisy.” Over time, however, this ceremonial introduction evolved into one of his most famous and frequently performed concert works. Despite its title, the 1812 Overture is not an introduction to a larger composition. It is a self-contained orchestral work that vividly narrates the events of 1812: the invasion of Russia by Napoleon’s forces, followed by their catastrophic retreat and defeat during the harsh Russian winter. Alt...

The music of the Russian romantic composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky , oversensitive, evokes the immediate emotion of the listener since they are often reflected in it - with rare immediacy and upretentious honesty - "episodes" of his turbulent life. Afailed marriage burdened him with guilt, from which he never managed to break free. But as it happens usually at that case, the pain proved to be a cause for stimulation of the composer's creative ideas. The tender melancholy and the restrained pessimism that redeem many of the pages of his music, are due not only to his Slavec chromosomes, but also to the frustrations he received during his life. He certainly did not turn his pain into joy. But he turned the pain into force, thanks to which he managed to resist the imperatives of his times, who wanted every expression of art to be subject to the rules of the Russian School. Tchaikovsky was indeed less Russian and more Western. And if his music was doubted while he was alive,...