Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture, Moscow Cantata (gergie

Valery Gergiev, Mariinksy Soloists, Orchestra and Chorus

P.I. Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture / Moscow Cantata / Marche Slave / Coronation March / Danish Overture

Wholenote Discoveries - December 2009
The Mariinsky Orchestra’s third CD on their own label is devoted to the music of Tchaikovsky. The 1812 Overture which opens the program is mighty impressive with the added cannons and bells heard as if from afar and not vying with the entire orchestra for sonic dominance. The Moscow Cantata, scored for soloists, chorus and orchestra, follows then the Marche Slave (sic), opus 31, the Festival Coronation March, and the Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem, opus 15. Recorded in their own hall earlier this year this album is outstanding in the excellence of the recorded sound, presenting a wide and deep sound stage, with every instrument and voice in natural perspective. The dynamic range, too, is impressive. Credit must go to the producer, James Mallinson, who is also responsible for the recordings of both the London Symphony and the Chicago Symphony orchestras on their own labels. Bruce Surtees

Following acclaimed recordings of Shostakovich, the third release on the Mariinsky Theatre’s new label features a selection of popular and rarely-heard works by Tchaikovsky. Unlike the majority of his Russian predecessors, Tchaikovsky’s fame meant he received regular commissions for new work – he was the first ‘professional’ Russian composer. A new generation followed in his footsteps including Stravinsky and Prokofiev; for them, commissions were the norm. Many of the works for which Tchaikovsky was commissioned were required to celebrate great state and political events. The Danish Overture was written to mark the marriage of the future Tsar Alexander III to the Danish Princess Dagmar. He was later commissioned to produce the Moscow Cantata and Coronation March as part of the celebrations to mark Alexander’s coronation. The patriotic Marche Slave was written for a charitable concert staged to raise funds for Russian volunteers in the Serbo-Turkish War. Although the 1812 Overture depicts Russia’s earlier war with Napoleonic France, the piece was actually commissioned for the opening of the Christ The Saviour Cathedral in Moscow. The cathedral itself was built to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the 1812 campaign of the wars.

Price: $19.98