Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/ Marche Slave

Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Alexander Borodin (Composer), Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Composer), Ove Gotting (Conductor), Neeme Järvi (Conductor), Gothenburg Churchbells (Performer), Gothenburg Artillery Division (Orchestra), Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Gothenburg Churchbells
• Orchestra: Gothenburg Artillery Division, Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Ove Gotting, Neeme Järvi
• Composer: Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, Alexander Borodin, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov
• Audio CD (March 8, 1991)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Deutsche Grammophon
• ASIN: B000001GDT
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,304 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #46 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General AAS
  • #92 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music > Overtures

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS is the 1812 to own!, September 29, 2002

By 

W. M. Robbins "The Badger" (The Beautiful Blue Ridge) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/ Marche Slave (Audio CD)

Tchaikovsky has been one of my favorite composers since a very early age, and my interest in him led me to explore the works of other Russian composers, such as Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov, Shostakovich, etc. I have listened to many recordings of Ouverture Solenelle 1812, and here Ove Gotting conducts the Gothenburg Symphony Chorus and the Gothenburg Symphony Brass Band in a performance that would bring tears to the eyes of even Tchaikovsky (who described the 1812 as "having no artistic merit.")
Nearly everyone, whether they appreciate classical music or not, can recognize the 1812 ("you mean the one with the cannons, right?...") Every Independence Day we can watch television coverage of the United States Marine Corps Band performing the 1812, complete with artillery firing. To my mind the sharp "BANG" of modern artillery seems out of place in the 1812, and I have always preferred the deeper, woofing "BOOM" of black powder artillery. Here the cannons are 1863 Swedish field pieces from the muzzle loading era belonging to the Gothenburg Artillery Division. Rounding out the performance are the Churchbells of Gothenburg.
This exquisite 1812 is followed by an equally wonderful performance of Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave, a patriotic piece he was inspired to compose by the Serbo-Turkish war, in which Russia took part. The rest of the works on this CD- Borodin's In the Steppes of Central Asia and Polovtsian Dances, and Rimsky- Korsakov's Russian Easter Festival Overture and Capriccio Espagnol are also superb, making this CD a fantastic collection of Russian Orchestral music.

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrific recording of the Overture with Chorus, March 22, 1999

By 

Lyn Farmer ([e-mail]) (Miami, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/ Marche Slave (Audio CD)

I'm program director of a classical music radio station, and have had more calls from listeners about this performance of the 1812 Overture than any other we feature. Part of the draw is the chorus, which is very good, and the discrete use of cannons without going for some of the bloated special effects that inhibit some recordings of the overture. Kitschy music? Sure it is, but this recording does a better job than any I know in convincing the listener it is good music, too, and the pairings on the disc make this a good bargain as well.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars **GOSH!**, September 18, 2004

By 

Paul R. Hagen (Minneapolis, MN usa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/ Marche Slave (Audio CD)

Bought this disc for the Russian Easter Overture. Thought I had a plenty good 1812 Overture. That's where the **GOSH!** comes in. Given that the 1812 Overture is the first track, that's what I heard first. I'd never heard a version with the CHORUS before, and it added an almost "liturgical" dimension that blew me away. I've listened to it five times so far and gotten tears every time. The Rusian Easter Overture was everything I'd hoped it would be (another emotional catharsis for me), and everything else on the disc is technically and emotionally stunning. Go for it!