Friday, May 9, 2008

Music appreciation - Tchaikovsky part 2

I decided to skip The Nutcracker first, Imeem just don't obey the master.
Just for your information, i won't share about "1812" Overture despite it is 16'19 long, the piece made me fall asleep as well.
Anyone wanna help me with "1812", you're welcome.
Fine, then I'll share one of Tchaikovsky patriotic production - Slavonic March
It's commonly known as Marche Slave in French.
Personally love the tune of this piece very much, it could stuck in my mine then i'll keep humming some freaky minor tune whenever I go after listening to it.
So conductors and DMs, is there any chance we'll play this song?
The piccolo and cymbal sounded awesome! Trust my taste in music *tongue out*

In June 1876, following incidents in which Turkish soldiers killed a large number of Christian, Serbia declared war on Turkey.
Many Russians sympathized with those they considered to be their fellow Slavs and sent volunteer soldiers and aid to assist the Kingdom of Serbia.
In the ensuing struggle the Serbian army was quickly defeated by the Turks.Nikolai Rubinstein, a close friend of Tchaikovsky, asked him to compose a piece for a concert benefiting the wounded Russian volunteers.
In a burst of patriotism, Tchaikovsky composed and orchestrated what was first known as the "Serbo-Russian March" (later to be known as "Marche slave") in only five days.

The piece was premiered in on November 17, to a warm reception.
The march is highly programmatic in its form and organisation.
The first section describes the oppression of the Serbians by the Turkish.
It uses two folk songs.
The first "Come my dearest, why so sad this morning?" is played at the outset, as Tchaikovsky directs, "at the speed of a funeral march".
The second folk song is more optimistic in character. An episode follows, describing the atrocities in the Balkans, in which Tchaikovsky uses his mastery of the orchestra to build a tremendous climax, at the height of which the first folk song returns, fortissimo on the trumpets like a plangent cry for help.
The tempestuous mood subsides giving way to the second section in the relative major key, which describes the Russians rallying to help the Serbs.
This is based on a simple melody with the character of a rustic dance which is passed around the orchestra until finally it gives way to a solemn statement of the Russian national anthem "God Save the Tsar".
The third section of the piece is a repeat of Tchaikovsky's furious orchestral climax, reiterating the Serbian cry for help.
The final section describes the Russian volunteers marching to assist the Serbians.
It uses a Russian tune, this time in the tonic major key and includes another blazing rendition of "God Save the Tsar" prophesying the triumph of the Slavonic people over tyranny.
The overture finishes with a virtuoso coda for the full orchestra.he piece shares a few refrains with the 1812 Overture, with which it is frequently paired in performance.





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