You feel good, indeed very tragic. The following is the relevant background and appreciation article

Tchaikovsky's "1812" Overture/jackie

1. Foreword: In the early 1980s, Tchaikovsky's The overture of "1812" is one of the designated tracks for Hong Kong audiophiles to try out. If you call yourself an audiophile but have never heard this overture, there are two possibilities. One is that you are very young, maybe a child born in the 1980s, and the other is that you don’t have much of a fever, at most you just have a cold. "Overture" originally refers to the opening music of an opera, ballet or oratorio. Since the 19th century, composers have often used this genre to write independent orchestral music. Most of its structures are in sonata form and have titles. The overture of "1812" is an independent orchestral piece with content. In the eyes of music critics, the "1812" Overture is not considered Tchaikovsky's best work. Even Tchaikovsky himself said in a letter to Mrs. Meck (Tchaikovsky's main sponsor) : "This overture will be very noisy and noisy. I didn't write it with much enthusiasm, so it may not have any artistic value." Ironically, the "1812" overture was already a huge hit when it was first performed. Won a high reputation for Tchaikovsky. Later, it was performed in many cities in Russia and in Germany, the Czech Republic, and Belgium. Since then, it has become one of the most vivid, easy-to-understand, and popular works among Tchaikovsky's symphonies. This is probably because of Tchaikovsky's symphony. Fitz was unexpected.

2. The creative background of the "1812" overture. The "1812" Overture written by Tchaikovsky in 1880 is called "The Solemn Overture of 1812 for Big Band for the Inauguration of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow". It’s long enough! If you can memorize it word for word when you go to a record store to buy a CD, then I really admire you. This piece of music was composed by Tchaikovsky at the request of his teacher Nikolai Rubinstein to celebrate the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow – the church was destroyed during the Franco-Russian War of 1812. Destroyed by war (another theory is that this song was written for the Moscow Art and Industry Expo).

3. The content of the overture of "1812". In 1812, Napoleon led an army of 600,000 people to invade Russia, attempting to annihilate the Russian army in a short time, occupy Moscow, and force Russia to surrender. At the beginning of the war, when Napoleon's army was numerically superior, the Russian army had to gradually retreat. France was approaching Moscow. The Russian commander Kutuzov adopted the strategy of clearing the country, burning the grain and grass, and evacuated the residents, leading his army to temporarily evacuate Moscow. A month after Napoleon occupied Moscow, he was still unable to force Russia to surrender. Instead, he found himself alone in a tight siege, so he ordered the evacuation of Moscow. During the retreat, Napoleon's army was unable to adapt to the harsh Russian winter. Coupled with hunger and the Russian counterattack, it eventually collapsed. When Napoleon invaded Russia, most of his 600,000 troops were annihilated, and in the end only less than 10,000 people escaped from Russia. The Overture to "1812" is an orchestral work written based on the above-mentioned historical facts. In this overture, Tchaikovsky narrates the event in 1812 in a clear-cut manner, including the original peaceful life of the Russian people and the subsequent unrest and riots, the battle between the Russian and French armies, and the final defeat of the French army by Russia. , the carnival scene of the Russian people celebrating their victory, etc.

4. Why the "1812" Overture is used as testing equipment by audio enthusiasts. I have mentioned above that this overture is not one of Tchaikovsky's best works, but why is it widely used by audiophiles as a test equipment? (There are many followers of Liu Hansheng from "Audio Forum" here. Let me tell you, Liu Hansheng also recommended using the "1812" overture when testing orchestral music.) The reason is very simple. In addition to using normal orchestral instruments in this overture (including three timpani, triangle , tambourines, bass drums, cymbals, etc.), extraordinary instruments such as snare drums, cannons, bells, etc. were also used. A military band was added at the end of the overture in order to achieve a lively and vivid effect. When this overture was performed for the first time, the bells, drums and cannons roared in unison, and the orchestra's performance already excited the public attending the ceremony.

After the modern two-channel era, recording technology has made great progress. Several companies have added real gun sounds to records, which has fascinated audiophiles. They often use real gun recording versions to test the strength, transient, and low frequency of the equipment. and other abilities. If you are not a "big gun party", please listen to the whole song carefully and pay attention! The volume of this overture changes greatly, and many instruments are used. You can clearly hear the strings, woodwinds, brass and percussion instruments. It can test the timbre, image positioning, strength and dynamic contrast of your equipment... If you can't distinguish the sounds of different instruments, you can first buy a music CD of "Peter and the Wolf". I recommend you buy the naxos version (peter and the wolf naxos 8.554170dx), a picture album plus a CD. The regular price is about 50 yuan, and the special price is more than 30 yuan (don’t scold me if I’m wrong). For all beginners of classical music and parents with children, I recommend you to buy a copy of "Peter and the Wolf". In the story of this piece, each character is played by one of the orchestra's instruments. The music is very helpful, and the children will definitely enjoy listening to it (you should listen with them!).

5. Analysis of the overture of "1812". The version I chose for analysis is the one with Mercury Antal Dorati conducting the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. This is my preferred version. Of course, I also like the version with rca eugene ormandy conducting the philadelphia orchestra. Why didn’t I choose the telarc version that many netizens bought recently? Quite simply, I think this version is not ideal

The structure of the music is sonata style. It begins with an overture, with strings playing the slow, solemn first theme. The melody comes from a religious song, "The Hymn of the Many." This theme is solemn and pious, seeming to express the Russian people's begging for God's blessing and yearning for peace when the country is in crisis. Then the music gradually sped up, musical instruments gradually joined in, the volume increased, horn sounds and shouts intertwined, the heavy bass instruments issued a solemn call, and then the cavalry march was played. This is the second theme of the overture, symbolizing the heroic image of the Russian soldiers and civilians who responded to the call and rose up to resist the enemy.

After entering the progressive part, the music becomes dramatic. The music is in the key of E flat minor and has a trilogy structure. The main theme, as fast as a whirlwind, depicts fierce and cruel battle scenes. As the main theme unfolds, a fragment of the "Marseillaise" appears, and its repeated presentation serves as a symbol of Napoleon's army invading the Russian border. "La Marseillaise" has been transformed, extended and intertwined with the main musical elements to describe the ferocity and approach of Napoleon's army and the hardship and fierceness of the Russian army's resistance to the enemy.

The deputy theme is lyrical and beautiful, in the style of Russian folk songs, expressing the Russian soldiers’ deep feelings for their hometown, motherland and peaceful life. Another theme of the deputy department has the characteristics of dance music, evolved from the Russian folk song "At the Gate", which expresses people's optimistic and humorous character during the war.

The main theme in the expansion part and the tones of "La Marseillaise" alternately appear one after another, depicting a thrilling war scene. There are slight changes in the recapitulation, and the war atmosphere in the main part is more intense. After the two themes of the deputy department reappeared, the theme of "La Marseillaise" representing Napoleon's army became more arrogant, but it has become a weak weapon and has lost its arrogant character. The two themes that express the Russian people have been repeatedly emphasized, showing the successive victories in the anti-aggression war. Napoleon's army was finally defeated in the tragic situation of hunger and cold. The end of the music reaches a climax that symbolizes triumph. The overture theme "Hymn" forms a glorious carol accompanied by noisy bells and gun salutes. The music reproduces the first theme, and the tempo changes to a lively Allegro. At this time, it quotes the first half of the theme of the national anthem of the Russian Empire, like a victorious soldier being reviewed, and the music ends in a festive atmosphere of joy.

Shostakovich's "Leningrad" Symphony No. 7 in C major (OP.60) can be called a legend in the history of world music. In 1941, Hitler's fascist troops invaded the Soviet Union (Soviet Union) at lightning speed.

In just five months, it surrounded Leningrad and pushed towards Moscow. During the hundreds of days of siege of Leningrad, the city was bombarded with large amounts of artillery shells every day. The entire people of Leningrad mobilized to fight the fascists in a life-and-death bloody battle. The cruelty of war is unimaginable... During that period of extreme hardship, hardship and danger, the great Russian composer Shostakovich wanted to express this period through music and praise the tenacious struggle of the people. With a winning spirit, he began to compose this destined to be an immortal musical poem in a very difficult state. He said: "I want to tell people all over the world that we are still alive and we will win!" When the composer completed this great work, it was very difficult to perform. First of all, there was the bombing by enemy artillery fire. Hundreds of tons of bombs were bombed every day, so safety was difficult to guarantee; then there was the lack of performers. At that time, almost all the people in the city were soldiers, and there were still music performers; secondly, the performance venue, The enemy troops are only a few kilometers away from the city. In order to inspire the fighting spirit of anti-fascist people all over the world, the Soviet people made great efforts. The Soviet army sent people to the front line to find the musicians of the orchestra one by one and safely brought them back to the city for secret rehearsals, repairs to the performance venue, and even used military aircraft to transport the score. Before the concert, the Soviet high command issued an order to severely inflict heavy damage on the enemy. For a time, the Soviet artillery positions fired in unison, using all their artillery fire to violently bombard the enemy. The powerful artillery fire was replaced by a short period of tranquility. At this point the music starts! People came out of their bunkers and took to the streets to listen to the music broadcast on the radio. People were greatly inspired by this great musical epic and built up their confidence to win.

This symphony, which embodies the people’s belief in victory and their opposition to the fascist war, has received great repercussions around the world. At that time, many famous conductors hoped to get the right to conduct the American premiere. After NBC weighed in, this honor was given to conductor Toscanini. This is because of Toscanini's unequivocal anti-fascist stance and his authority in music. At that time, in order to bypass the German blockade, the score of this symphony was filmed on microfilm and transported to the United States by plane.

A grand premiere was held in New York on July 19, 1942. The concert was then broadcast by thousands of radio stations around the world. From then on, the world saw the Soviet people's tenacious fighting spirit and strong perseverance in fighting fascism through this great musical work.

Since then, the anti-fascist war has entered the stage of decisive victory.

Structurally speaking, Symphony No. 7 appears lengthy (the whole piece is about 70 minutes, the longest among all his symphonies). It is also somewhat "unbalanced", as the first movement alone takes up nearly one-third of the entire song. According to a 1951 article by Shostakovich, this is a symphony with Leningrad as its title and each movement has a theme, namely: "War" and "Recollection" ), "The expanses of my native land", "Victory". If we listen according to these themes, it is indeed quite easy to resonate with the author. In other words, the theme of the seventh movement is quite clear, and one can almost know the meaning that the composer wants to express at the first listen. Therefore, some commentators believe: "This piece is not so much a symphony as it is closer to a large-scale "Suite", this sentence can be said to be a quite accurate footnote for the characteristics of this symphony.

The first movement is a moderate allegro. First, the "human theme" is presented, depicting the peaceful life before the war. The violin played the theme clearly and steadily, followed by the long and breathy woodwind monologue that is common in Shostakovich's works. Suddenly, the sound of drums from the distance shattered the dream of peace, and a march-style "war theme" appeared.

The second movement is a slightly faster middle plate, a three-section scherzo movement. It is said that the composer described this movement like this: "...This is a memory of pleasant things and happy episodes in life. But a sad mood surrounds this memory..." The main part of the movement is played easily by the first violin. , and the resulting strong rhythmic background of the string instruments, as well as the elegant secondary music of the oboe.

The secondary music of the oboe is taken over by the bass recorder, and the bass accompaniment of the harp and flute is very distinctive. This movement can be said to be the most Shostakovich-esque music.

The third movement is from Adagio to Adagio. People have said since ancient times: "Russians have a deep love for their motherland and land." This movement expresses "respect for the beauty of nature", just like the lush and boundless virgin forests on the Russian land.

The fourth movement changes from a not too fast Allegro to a medium plate. After a short introduction with a motive similar to Beethoven's "Theme of Destiny" presented by the timpani, the theme is presented by the string instruments in unison, and then enters the freely developed main part. According to Shostakovich's original intention, this final movement is to express "the coming of victory." Finally, the first movement "The Human Theme" was played powerfully by brass instruments. After the overwhelming triumphant song, four timpani played the central theme of the movement, and the whole song ended.

When composers are engaged in creation, there are always some special "situations" that stimulate their creative inspiration, whether it is major events happening in society at that time, emotional connections between family and friends, or their own feelings about music. Life experience or contemplation of life... and so on. As listeners, we can always find resonance and emotion from the emotions they want to express, or we can "review" the situation of their creation from the music... Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7 "Leningrad" naturally also has this property. However, due to the environment he was in at the time, this originally simple creative motivation became more complicated.

Leningrad was originally named Petrograd. It was renamed in commemoration of Lenin (now known as St. Petersburg). It has been the capital of the Russian Empire since its founding in 1703 and has always been a political, economic and cultural center. Many artists were active here. When the Nazis attacked the Soviet Union, Shostakovich lived in the city and personally assisted in the battles on the front line. The first three movements of the Seventh Symphony were completed in this besieged (dangerous) city. As for the final One movement, because the German army cut off all outside contact with Leningrad in September 1941, Shostakovich evacuated his family to Kuibyshev and completed this work at the end of the same year. Judging from the time of creation, Symphony No. 7 was indeed born in Leningrad.

The title of this piece "Leningrad" already roughly tells us the theme it wants to present: it was composed for Leningrad, which was besieged by the Nazi legions during World War II. However, the publication of a so-called Shostakovich memoir "Testimony" in 1979 added complex factors to the original simple writing motivation, such as: "I am writing about this topic (Note: refers to Chapter 1). (the "invasion" theme of the first movement, the snare drum repeating passage), what I was thinking about was actually another kind of enemy that destroys humanity." "What I wrote is... a memorial to the millions of people who died under tyranny. "Song" and other words, the emphasis is on condemning the totalitarian regime's arbitrary abuse of innocent people, and the patriotism that this song should have for granted is not mentioned. However, since the content of this memoir is quite controversial, what it states can be used as a reference for our study of Shostakovich, but it does not necessarily have to be accepted in its entirety. In short, no matter what Shostakovich's real motivation was, the German siege of Leningrad was definitely the most important catalyst for him to compose the Seventh Symphony.