Tchaikovsky, P.: Tempest (The) / Hamlet / 1812 Festival Overture

Featuring

James DePreist
David Christensen
Oregon Symphony
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Tchaikovsky was inspired by Shakespeare's plays multiple times, using three of them as inspiration for four of his works.

Composition History

Tchaikovsky's early work, Romeo and Juliet, was composed after composer Mily Balakirev urged him to do so, even offering suggestions for its structure and themes.

Instruments

The cannon used in this recording of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture is a reproduction of a Revolutionary War cannon, made at La Pans Foundry in Glen Falls, New York.

Compositional Technique

In his fantasy-overture Hamlet, Tchaikovsky used a musical representation of indecision by starting in E Major and concluding in the distant key of F Minor.

Recording & Production

For this recording of the 1812 Overture, modern technology was used to place the Russian artillery on the front-left and the adversaries' salvos on the right and from a distance.

Composer Biography

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, despite some biographers focusing on his neuroses, was an industrious composer who carefully planned his daily schedule for creative work.