Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Moscou (Coronation Cantata), The Voyevoda, Overture 1812, The Tempest

Featuring

Daniel Damaniov
Ludmilla Legostaeva
Nikolai Golovanov
Moscow Radio Symphony Choir
Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

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Historical Context

The 1812 Overture, composed in 1880, commemorates Russia's defense against Napoleon's invading Grande Armée in 1812.

Composer Biography

Tchaikovsky, the composer, once stated that he composed like a shoemaker making shoes, through daily work and often by commission.

Compositional Technique

Tchaikovsky's Voyevoda is notable for his first use of the celesta, an instrument he later famously featured in The Nutcracker ballet.

Critical Reception

Tchaikovsky was initially very dissatisfied with his symphonic ballad Voyevoda, threatening to destroy the score and declaring it 'rubbish'.

Interpretation

Nikolai Golovanov's characteristic performance style was full-blooded and vehement, with a powerful sonority and extreme flexibility in tempo, phrasing, and dynamics.

Performer Biography

Nikolai Golovanov, the conductor on this album, held some of the highest musical positions in the USSR, including an extensive association with the Bolshoi Opera.

Recording & Production

This album features recordings made in Moscow between 1948 and 1952, originally edited on 78T records and then LPs by Gramplasttrest, and later by Melodiya.