Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture/ Marche Slave

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

THE BEST collection of Russian Romantic music is here! This contains an absolutely brilliant performance of the "1812 Overture" with bells, "cannons," and chorale. The chorale really enhances the performance: it makes this recording the best I've ever heard. Also on this album are 5 more of the best Russian Romantic pieces ever: "Marche Slave" by Tchaikovsky, Borodin's "In the Steppes of Central Asia" and "Polovtsian Dances," and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Capriccio Espagnol" and "Russian Easter Overture." These performances/recordings are also magnificent. They combine the beauty of Russian Romanticism with that of Russian chorale. This is THE album to buy if you like Russian music of the 19th-20th century. It also includes overtones of older Russian music: the centuries-old Orthodox chant in the "Russian Easter Overture" and the music of the "Polovtsian Dances." This is definitely a must-get album for the collection of any classical music lover.

Tchaikovsky himself may not be intending to change his own compositions, but many of the "arranged" performances are truly awesome. Neeme Jarvi and the Gothemburg Symphony Orchestra, along with the choir, the band, and the artillery are especially awesome. The choir is introduced at the beginning, instead of the strings as on the actual version. The choir also sang with the triumphant reprise of the introductory hymn, which is also off from actual. The sound of the brass band and the choir is churned rather very beautifully as well as boldly. The whole orchestra and the band is very well played, and the cannon sounds pretty fine too. Except for some really tiny flaws (which I don't mind at all, and you may not either), this version of 1812 is totally awesome! You should buy this CD, and you'll love this version. Other music inside the CD is well played too. The musicality of Gothemburg is terrific! This CD will definitely do, as well as Ormandy's version, unless you want the original, intended version.

This CD is truly one of the bettar CD's containing not only Tchaikovsky, but also Borodin and Rimsky-Kosakov. The most powerful peice is hard to choose, but the quick paced, Marche Slave Op.31 is sure to draw your attention. But how could we forget the classic 1812 overture with its famous cannon barrage, and the many other terrific pieces, pointing out specifically the Capriccio espagnol op. 34. I strongly suggest this CD, as with all Deutsche Grammophon(as they are superbly recorded), I am sure any lover of the great Russian Composer's will enjoy this CD.

This is a great rendition with good sound. Especially good are the Borodin works along with Rimsky-Korsakoff's Easter piece. Don't worry about this one, though it just doesn't seem complete without the Prince Igor Overture...

I ordered this CD when seraching for a great copy of 1812 overture, along with a few other good songs. This turned out to be the best classical CD I have purchased. Indeed, this is the best version of 1812 I have heard. The chorus added a nice touch, and the old cannons do the piece justice. The other songs on the CD are great as well. Marche Slave is another Tcahikovsky masterpiece (in my opinion, he is the best orchestral composer of all time). Borodin also adds some of his best to the CD, the version of Polovtsian Dances with the chorus is great, and the sound of In the Steppes of Central Asia is superb. However, the next song, Russian Easter Overture, is the down part of the CD. The piece itself is wonderful, put this recodring doesn't do it justice. First off, most of the time the conducter takes it entirley too slow. Second, the sound quality is bad, you can't hear any of the timpani or bell parts the majoirty of the time. These parts are meant to be grand and dynamic, but instead they get smeared into the background so much that they are barely audible. However, it is still worth listening to. The real surprise for me was the last song, Capriccio espagnol. This is a complete piece, full of intesity, emotion and fun. It gets better and better everytime I listen to it. Definitely one of Rimsky's best pieces, right up there with Russian Easter Overture. If you buy this CD for just the 1812, you will be in for a lot more. This is a complete album, and is full of great music that everyone should enjoy. It gets a solid 90%.

I read very good critics about this recording and I bought it expecting god performances. It didn't turn out like that.

1812 is the best work of the present recording, the coral part works extremely well and the performance in general has great distinction. In fact, this performance stands out among many others. It won't surpass Dorati's famous account, but it will do better than Gergiev, Abbado, Karajan, Solti, Maazel, Stokowski, Bernstein just to mention a few that I am familiar with.

Marche Slave: This is a very standard reading, in this case, if you really want a fine performance of this work, I strongly recommend you to go for Stokowski's one on Decca (by far the best I've heard) or Abbado's with the Berlin Philharmonic on DG (surprisingly).

In the Steppes of Central Asia, again, very standard, I don't mean it's a bad version, but you can find better ones like Gergiev's with the Kirov Orchestra.

The Polovtsian dances lack strength, there are plenty of versions better than this one. As I said about the "Steppes" this is not a bad account, but if you listen to Mackerras, Dorati, Gergiev or Stokowski, you will see what I mean.

The Russian Easter Overture is the biggest disappointment on this disc. Järvi has made great recordings of Rimsky-Korsakov's music for Chandos, so I don't know what happened here. So, if you are buying this CD because of this piece, don't waste you money. The sound quality is poor, and the performance itself is not very exciting. So far, the best Russian Easter Overture I've heard is Markevitch's on Phillips, and Stokowski's on RCA.

On the other hand, the Capriccio Español is an excellent performance, very energetic, very well played from beginning to end and even though I wouldn't say it's the best, it cernainly ranks high among its many competitors. Dorati's and Mackerras's, both with the LSO in Mercury Living Presence and TELARC respectively are very recommendable too.

The rare and perfect combination of the 1812 Overture with other pieces make this CD very distinctive.The sound is just great. I was thrilled from beginning to end.