Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
Ouverture Solennelle 1812

The French army is in retreat! Napoleon is defeated! The motherland Russia has driven out the foreign invader.
This event must be immortalized and passed down to future generations. Posterity should know the grandeur of what happened.
It is 1880 and Tsarist Russia wants to remember the bloody victory achieved over the Napoleonic army. A hard-fought victory, marked by numerous losses and the burning of Moscow in 1812. As the main monument to the heroes of the Patriotic War of 1812, the Basilica of Christ the Savior was built in Moscow, whose blessing was scheduled for 1882, a year in which solemnities were expected not only on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Victory over Napoleon but also the anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Alexander II. In advance, a celebratory commission was formed, which included prominent figures of Russian culture, including Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky, who was asked to write something for orchestra or choir, opting for any of the three significant events: the blessing of the Basilica of Christ the Savior, anniversary of the Victory in the Patriotic War, and the anniversary of the coronation of Emperor Alexander II.
Tchaikovsky prefers the "military theme," that is, the victory in the Patriotic War, and in just a few days composes the "1812 Overture."

The work is majestic: the characteristic features are immense solemnity and a high patriotic spirit, so much so that this composition can be embraced by all nations. It is the hymn of victory. An air of Romanticism permeates this work. Tchaikovsky is the only one capable of crafting these epic atmospheres. Even a novice listener understands that this is the hand of the Russian composer.
Technically, the work (No. 49, for the record) falls into the category of program music and perfectly describes the main phases of the conflict. This is the grandeur of the Overture: to manage to describe so perfectly, with only music and without the use of words, a historical event of primary importance for Russia. What Tchaikovsky does, no writer, no painter, no other artist could have done but him, the Romantic from Votkinsk.

The composition has an average duration of 15-17 minutes and is performed by an orchestra with all its members. The beginning is calm but imposing: a choir accompanied by a church organ proclaims the declaration of war in Russia and subsequently sings its victory in the conflict.
The instrumental part, on the other hand, traces the salient events: the advance of the French is represented with an Allegro theme that echoes (thanks to the use of horns) the theme of the "Marseillaise," the transalpine national anthem. This is also the moment of the conquest of Moscow in September 1812.
A change of tempo transitions to an Andante Sostenuto, which reflects, using melodies typical of Russian folk music, the subsequent victory of the Tsar's army and the expulsion of Napoleon, who sadly retreats, with his army decimated by bloody losses, from Russia.
Thus, the music returns to a solemn and impetuous tone, the entire orchestra celebrates the liberation and military victory with the sound of bells and cannons, before preparing for the final crescendo, in which you can now hear the Russian national anthem, the anthem of the victors.
The last part represents the perfection of classical composition, the majesty of it, the perfect manifesto of Romanticism in particular, and music in general. It encompasses a universe of values and feelings: from patriotism to the joy of liberation.
The final march, amid cannons and bells, closes this splendid work. I thank the genius of Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky for these unique emotions.