1. The creative background of the "1812" Overture
The "1812" Overture written by Tchaikovsky in 1880 is called "For the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow" Inauguration Ceremony, the 1812 Solemn Overture for Big Band". 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 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 built in 1812 It was burned down during the Franco-Russian War in 2001 (another theory is that this song was written for the Moscow Art and Industrial Exposition).
The overture of "1812" should be classified as the most superficial and easiest to understand among all Lao Chai's works. 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 content of the overture to "1812"
In 1812, Napoleon led an army of 600,000 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 of "1812" is an orchestral work written based on the above 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.
3. Why is the "1812" overture used as testing equipment by audiophiles
I have mentioned above that this overture is not one of Tchaikovsky's best works , but why is it widely used as testing equipment by enthusiasts? The reason is simple. In addition to using normal orchestral instruments (including three timpani, triangle, tambourine, bass drum, cymbals, etc.), this overture also uses extraordinary instruments such as snare drums, cannons, and bells. A military band was added at the end for a lively and lively effect.
When this overture was performed for the first time, the bells, drums and cannons roared in unison, and together with the orchestra's performance, the public attending the ceremony was greatly excited. 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 buy a music CD of "Peter and the Wolf" first. 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!).
4. Analysis of the "1812" Overture
The version I chose for analysis is the version conducted by Mercury Antal Dorati with the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra. This is my favorite version. Of course, I also like the RCA version with Eugene Ormandy conducting The Philadelphia Orchestra. Why didn’t I choose the Telarc version that many netizens bought recently? Quite simply, I don't think this version is ideal. I wrote the analysis part based on Yang Minwang's "Appreciation of World Famous Music" (published by Shanghai Music Publishing House). This is the authoritative version. Many reviews in China and Taiwan are written (stolen) based on this book (except in Hong Kong, our record reviewers have They have extremely rich imaginations and can create random things and talk nonsense. They are ignorant and inaccurate enough, so Hong Kong people have enough material to be laughed at). If you are used to reading books as thick as dictionaries, you can buy them (two dictionaries). If you are afraid of big books, Yang Minwang has an "Introduction to Symphony Appreciation" (published by Shanghai Translation Publishing House), which is an abridged version of the previous book.
This article is mainly for beginners of classical music, so I try not to use audio terms as much as possible. If I really have to use them, please forgive me. These terms are not difficult to understand. I hope that friends who don’t know anything about classical music can check the books or use their imagination. I also apologize to Fang Yazhenghe if the writing is not professional and accurate enough. (Alas! Free lunch, don’t scold me if I don’t write well!)
The music begins with a vast slow introduction: this is divided into six parts by the viola and cello (each part Two people) played the melody of an ancient hymn "Lord, save your people" (translated as "God Bless the People" in Taiwan). Its serene pace symbolizes the peaceful and tranquil life of the Russian people. Around (1:18), this theme is joined by woodwind instruments, and the sound is solemn, majestic and powerful.
The tense atmosphere is growing. With a timpani sound around (1:53), you will hear a panicked rhythm in the bass, which brings turbulent and exciting emotions. It symbolizes that the French invasion has broken the peaceful life of the Russian people. At this time you can hear a soft, moving and tearful theme being delivered in turns by the oboe, flute, clarinet and bassoon (2:46). Around (2:53) and (3:01), you will hear the sound of drums and cymbals clashing. The speed of the music begins to accelerate, the sound continues to increase, and the music enters a small climax.
Around (3:12), the original uneasy mood is replaced by an interlude depicting the recruitment of Russian troops, and you can hear the rapid sound of a snare drum (3:26). Against the background, woodwind instruments and French horns play a calling ensemble theme. This theme is repeated several times, followed by a short rest (around 4:25), and the music turns to the Allegro part (around 4:28). .
The music at this time is in sharp contrast with the previous music. The speed of the music at this time is extremely fast, and it begins to describe the scene of the decisive battle between the two armies. From the specially emphasized accents and syncopations of this theme, it seems that What sounded like sword strikes and horse hooves could be heard. As this theme gradually spreads throughout the band and reaches its climax, around (5:02) you will hear the drumming, and at around (5:08), the French horn and cornet play "La Marseillaise" one after another , its repeated appearance serves as a symbol of the French army's invasion of Russia.
The two melodies gradually slow down after colliding with each other (6:04), and then two Russian-style themes that are different from the theme of "Marseillaise" appear. (6:20) A smooth and vast Russian folk song appeared, telling the Russian people’s love for their motherland and their determination to not be afraid of violence and prepare to give incoming enemies a head-on attack. Pay attention to the sound of the orchestra playing the triangle at this time. You should hear enough overtones. If you can only hear a dull tone, either your record is poorly recorded or your equipment is poor.
Another theme that appears at (7:35) is the Russian wedding song "At the Gate", first played by flute and clarinet, with a passionate character, around (7:53) You'll hear the tambourine sound, which should be clear. This song fully demonstrates the Russian people's vitality and confidence in their own strength even in times of crisis.
Like the Russian melody above, it soothes tense battle emotions.
The following section (8:36) is another description of the battle scene. The music shows a new round of fighting. Brass instruments and string instruments are intricately intertwined. The percussion instruments symbolize the battle of swords and swords. (9:08) begins. , you'll hear the sounds of drums and cymbals being struck multiple times, while the "La Marseillaise" will taper off and fade away in the later stages, with snippets of it just speeding up, intermittently, and later set off by the sombre notes of the bass string instruments. Turn down into the bass range (bassoon, bass trombone and tuba).
(10:06) Two familiar Russian-style themes appear again, pay attention to the sound of the triangle. This passage once again emphasizes the victory of the Russian people over the invading enemy. (10:52) Around again you will hear familiar Russian folk songs. Immediately after the theme of "La Marseillaise" (11:13), the speed of the music speeds up and intensifies. At (11:47), the first cannon fire appears, and five cannon fires appear in succession, and the music turns into a stormy descent. The phrase stops at (12:36), depicting the final fight and the enemy's retreat, with vivid and realistic images.
Around (12:37), we enter the end of the music, starting from the hymn theme of the introduction. At this time, the added wind band plays solemnly and magnificently with thunderous momentum. You will hear The added bells, combined with the special and novel colors of the tubular bells, appear more majestic and become a glorious victory hymn, symbolizing the glorious ending of the struggle. But the powerful statement of this hymn is repeatedly interrupted by some rapid phrases of the battle theme (13:40). The recurrence of these scale phrases reminds people of past battles with the enemy.
Finally, a solemn and powerful theme sounded. This is the theme of the final chorus "Ode to Glory" in Glinka's opera "Ivan Susanin", around (13:52), in conjunction with The sound of eleven cannons and the ringing of church bells are the declaration of the final victory of the Russian people, and the entire music ends with this joyful triumphal hymn.
5. Introduction to ten versions of the "1812" overture.
(1), MERCURY 434 36O-2
The "1812" Overture conducted by Antal Dorati of the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now renamed Minnesota Orchestra) is my first choice. This record has been on the TAS list for many years. It was also given the highest rating of 3 stars and flowers by the Penguin CD Guide (1997/98 Yearbook), and listed it as the preferred version of the "1812" Overture. Hong Kong's Chen Yingguang's "CD Bible" also recommends this version (what a pity, his introduction cannot be separated from the sound of gunfire). It is undeniable that the sound of cannons on this disc is one of its selling points, and the reason for MERCURY's great success lies in its pioneering use of recording technology to add real cannon sounds and church bells to the band's performance. . This album was recorded twice by MERCURY Company, both times with the same conductor and orchestra. The first recording was in 1954, still in the mono era. The sound of the cannons was recorded at West Point Military Academy from the firing of ancient cannons made during the Napoleonic period, and the sound of the bells was recorded from the big bell on the campus of Yale University; the second recording In 1958, the era of stereophonic sound had entered, the sound of cannons was changed to cannons made in France in 1775, and the bells were changed to the bells of New York's Riverside Church.
MERCURY and TELARC both record the sound of cannons, bells and orchestra performances respectively, and then mix them. Due to its excellent recording, vivid effects, and the shocking effect of the real gunfire, this record has been used as a test disc by audiophiles and audio manufacturers when it was produced in mono. The production in 1958 used three microphones and a three-channel recorder for recording. The recording effect was extremely advanced at the time. In the vinyl era, this record sold more than 2 million copies, which can be said to be MERCURY's greatest treasure.
The current CD version is transcribed from the master tape in 1958. Judging from today’s recording technology, the background noise on this disc is slightly louder (don’t worry, I’m picky, maybe you won’t). Agree).