Tchaikovsky: 1812 Festival Overture; Capriccio Italien; Beethoven: Wellington's Victory

Ludwig van Beethoven (Composer), Spoken Word (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Antal Dorati (Conductor), David Hall (Conductor), Harold Lawrence (Conductor), University of Minnesota Brass Band (Performer), London Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Minnesota Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: University of Minnesota Brass Band
• Orchestra: London Symphony Orchestra, Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra
• Conductor: Antal Dorati, David Hall, Harold Lawrence
• Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven, Spoken Word, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (November 14, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B0000057MW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (50 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,195 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #5 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General
  • #5 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Romantic (c.1820-1910) > General AAS
  • #8 in Music > Classical > Forms & Genres > Symphonies > Romantic

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

60 of 61 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An extraordinary musical accomplishment!, May 16, 2000

By 

Mike Powers "mkp51" (Woolwich, ME USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: 1812 Festival Overture; Capriccio Italien; Beethoven: Wellington's Victory (Audio CD)

This is the most extraordinary version of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" I've ever heard! Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed the "1812 Overture" in 1880 to commemorate Russia's victory over Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812. This recording was made in 1958. The playing of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra and the University of Minnesota Brass Band, under the direction of Antal Dorati, is fantastic. At their hands, the music is passionate, exuberant, and breathtaking. In addition, a real French cannon (cast in 1775, and now owned by the U.S. Military Academy) and a real cathedral carillon were used instead of bells and percussion instruments.

Dorati conducted the London Symphony Orchestra in its 1960 recording of "Wellington's Victory," composed by Ludwig van Beethoven to commemorate the Duke of Wellington's victory over King Joseph Bonaparte at the battle of Vitoria in Spain, in 1813. Again, actual cannon and muskets from that era were used instead of percussion instruments. The effect is no less brilliant than the "1812 Overture." Tchaikovsky's "Capriccio Italien" is also superbly played by the London Symphony Orchestra. The CD sound quality throughout is outstanding -- so good, in fact, it's hard to believe these recordings were originally mastered over 40 years ago!

Also included are two tracks containing spoken commentary by Deems Taylor, a noted musicologist. His explanation of how the recordings of the "1812 Overture" and "Wellington's Victory" were made is very interesting. Unfortunately, these tracks are interspersed with the music, so if you don't want to listen to them, you have to program them out or manually skip them. I would have preferred to see the commentary either at the end of the disc, or on a seperate disc altogether. That, however, is only a minor shortcoming.

This is an essential CD for any classical music lover. It is an exciting, dynamic, and thrilling listening experience!

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Greatest 1812 Overture: Orchestral Battle Music, January 9, 2003

By 

Rachel Garret (Beverly Hills) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: 1812 Festival Overture; Capriccio Italien; Beethoven: Wellington's Victory (Audio CD)

This recording by the Mercury Living Presence label is undoubtedly, definitively, the ultimate 1812 Overture, simply the greatest. There are many fine interpretations of the legendary 1812 Overture, composed by Tchaikovsky, and used ad nauseum during 4th of July celebrations and in concert, but this particular orchestration at the hands of the eminent conductor Antal Dorati is the best. As an added bonus, the digitally remastered late 50's LP recording features spoken commentary by Deems Taylor and behind-the-scenes information on the making of the recording. Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Orchestra outdid themselves with a vivid orchestration of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. It sounds graphic, springing to life with frenzied strings and the charming Marseilles theme, at variance with the Russian national anthem. It is true battle music, a musical dramatization of the war between Russia and Napoleon's forces in 1812. The conclusion has been used in films, commercials, cellular phones, radio and in live concerts with fireworks during the 4th of July. It is the victory theme. For a dramatic touch, cannon and bells were used for this final section. Deems Taylor tells us how on a sunny morning in the late 50's, a team got together at West Point Academy and rehearsed for the recording time and again to get the perfect sound. They used a 1775 bronze cannon from Douay France, an actual cannon that was fired in Napoleonic wars. The clamor of the bells that herald victory were used by permission of the Bells of Laura Spelman, Rockefeller Memorial Carillon of Riverside Church.

As a delightful "intermission" between Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture and Beethoven's Wellington Victory, this recording has the bonus feature of Tchaikovsky's Capricio Italian "Italian Caprice", a festive Italian-style work that Tchaikovsky composed while vacationing in Italy. There are florid passages- a tarantella, with swirling dance-like themes, the bella ragazza theme and even Spanish-like melody. It provides a nice break between the violence of the two "battle pieces".

Beethoven's Wellington Victory was the source of inspiration for Tchaikovksy's 1812 Overture. Beethoven lavished the score with muscular trumpets, rapid trills on the strings, exciting, intense accents on the musical lines. Th music begins with drum rolls and with the themes "Rule Britania" and "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", followed by climatic battle music that at times feels like we are watching a battle on film accompanied by a terrific musical soundtrack, at one point resembling a Western. For this recording, the London Symphony Orchestra and Antal Dorati's team worked themselves weary to attain perfection. They again returned to West Point, as Deems Taylor comments, and live cannon and musket firing was included by a reactivated Civil War Unit, Battery B, 2nd New Jersey Light Artillery. Deems Taylor takes us back to the making of Wellington's Victory. This is a must for specialized music, especially battle music, and for those who will want to hear the greatest 1812 Overture, complimented by cannon. Finally, it is a remarkable testament to the genius and dramatic flair of Antal Dorati, who was, in my opinion, an equal to Arturo Toscanini.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely incredible!, June 12, 2004

By 

kelsie - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Tchaikovsky: 1812 Festival Overture; Capriccio Italien; Beethoven: Wellington's Victory (Audio CD)

This classic, enduring reading of the Festival Overture '1812' and 'Wellington's Victory' is stunning, meticulously researched, and yes, extremely LOUD! The music is powerful, well-performed, and truly captures the spirit of all three pieces. In the end, however, the stars of the show are the Bells of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon and, of course, the artillery and muskets as authentically realized in both battle pieces. The producers of this landmark LP and disc went as far as to use original, extant artillery pieces that date from the periods which inspired both '1812' and 'Wellington's Victory.' The recordings of the artillery are, in a word, INCREDIBLE! Unlike many versions of '1812,' where the cannons can sound underpowered (Naxos with Leaper) or way too pristine (Telarc with Kunzel), the Mercury engineers capture them in their authentic glory, holding nothing back. The Bells of the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial Carillon, however, totally steal the show at the end of '1812,' overwhelming the Minneapolis (now Minnesota) Symphony Orchestra, the University of Minnesota Brass Band, and the cannon itself, in a glorious, triumphant storm of sound.

Oh, by the way, the reading of the Capriccio Italien is excellent as well ;).

Deems Taylor's commentary is informative and very interesting, and gives an added appreciation for this disc when one considers the extremes to which performers, producers, and engineers went to put us, the lucky listeners, on the 'front line,' as it were. The winner of no less than TWO Penguin Guide Rosette Awards, this Mercury disc is truly the greatest of the greatest of them all. You absolutely do not want to miss this one!