Peter ilyich tchaikovsky 1812 overture

As a favoured festival spectacle, the 1812 Overture has long been ranked among the most adored, and also the most abhorred, works in the entire orchestral repertoire. Tchaikovsky himself was dismissive about the piece, written to commemorate Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow.

When a female friend owned up to liking it, Tchaikovsky retorted, ‘But what do you see in it? The thing was written to order.’ Nevertheless, he could scarcely fail to notice, on his travels throughout Russia, Europe and the United States, that the 1812, rather like Rachmaninov and his C sharp minor Prelude, was a work that audiences particularly hankered after.

Overture 1812: Concert Band Conductor Score & Parts: Peter ...

In America it has become a staple of Independence Day celebrations on July 4. It is still a crowd-puller worldwide. Whether we like it or not, the 1812 has survived for 130 years since its first performance and it is not going to go away.

Did Tchaikovsky like the 1812 Overture?

Tchaikovsky’s own 1812 Overture, Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky - Hollywood Bowl ROVE