The Year 1812, Solemn Overture, Op. 49, popularly known as the 1812 Overture, is a concert overture in E-flat major written in 1880 by Russian composer Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky. The piece commemorates Russia's successful defense with their Czar Alexander I of the Romanovs against the French invasion of the country by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812. The overture debuted in Moscow on 20 August [O.S. 8 August] 1882, conducted by Ippolit Al'tani under a tent near the then-almost-finished Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, which also memorialized the 1812 defense of Russia.
It is the music that was used in The Song of the Unicorn and Fire Truck Rocket.
Summary[]
In Season 2[]
In The Song of the Unicorn, 1812 Overture was used to help Leo get to the unicorn so that he can conduct all of the animals to sing, so that unicorn is free from the statue curse.
In Fire Truck Rocket, 1812 Overture was used to help rescue the proboscis monkey who got his tail stuck between two branches and to cool down the erupting Indonesian Volcano.
Movements[]
The Overture consists of five movements.
The Year 1812, Solemn Overture, Op. 49 - 1812 Overture[]
- Largo (E-flat major)
- Andante (E-flat major)
- Allegro giusto (E-flat minor)
- Largo (E-flat major)
- Allegro vivace (E-flat major)
Episode Appearances[]
Season 2[]
Songs adapted from 1812 Overture[]
The Song of the Unicorn[]
Fire Truck Rocket[]
Trivia[]
- This piece was used for the End Credits of Baby Van Gogh.
- The fifteen-minute overture is best known for its climactic volley of cannon fire, ringing chimes, and a brass fanfare finale.
- The 1812 Overture went on to become one of Tchaikovsky's most popular works, along with his ballet scores to The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake.
- It is one of the few works by Tchaikovsky to be written on commission, the other being The Nutcracker.
- Recently, the piece's usage as a patriotic song with tones of war has caused controversy during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which started in 2022.
In popular culture[]
- It has also become a common accompaniment to fireworks displays on the United States' Independence Day.
- The piece is heard throughout various forms of popular culture, ranging from film, television and even video games:
- The piece is featured prominently in both the opening and ending scenes of the film V for Vendetta.
- The melody of Dan Fogelberg's top ten hit "Same Old Lang Syne" is drawn from the distinctive leitmotif that represents the Russian forces in the piece.
- The piece is mentioned in a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, where Calvin is fascinated by the usage of cannons in the piece.
- The 1977 film The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training uses a portion of Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Also, the movie's theme song, James Rolleston's "Life is Lookin' Good," uses a variation of the music.
- In "The Disappearance of Mr. Davenheim" (Episode 5, Series 2, of the British drama series, Agatha Christie's Poirot), the title character plays a record of the 1812 Overture so that the cannon fire will mask the sound of him breaking into his own safe.
- A shortened version of the piece is featured as a sea shanty in the Xbox One game Sea of Thieves. It is playable by characters using any one of the game's four playable instruments.
- English slapstick comedian Charlie Drake performed part of the overture in a short film for television, with himself playing the conductor and all the musicians. In 1967 it won the Golden Rose at the Montreux Festival.
- When Ratchet performs his RYNO V (gatling gun) Super Move in the 2012 game PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, a brief portion of the music can be heard.
- A comedic version of the piece is performed in the 2017 superhero film Captain Underpants. This version is flatulence-related.
- The 1812 Overture was heard in the Animaniacs 2020 reboot episode, Here Comes Treble.
- The 1812 Overture can be heard during the 2022 film Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
- A part of the piece can be heard in the 1998 film Mulan in the song A Girl Worth Fighting For before the song ends abruptly.
- The University of Notre Dame Band of the Fighting Irish plays a version of the piece during the intermission between the third and fourth quarters of every Notre Dame Fighting Irish football home game.
- The riff of The Move's 1966 hit single "Night of Fear" was adapted from 1812 Overture.
- Canadian progressive rock band Rush adopted the famous brass theme of 1812 Overture in their suite 2112, from their album of the same name. Significantly, other than being included in a similarly titled piece of music, Tchaikovsky's theme is featured in the first section of the song, which is itself titled "Overture". Also, cannon shots are heard at the end of Rush's "Overture".
- The iconic melody featured at the end of the composition was adapted for the entrance theme of AEW professional wrestler Claudio Castagnoli.
- On 5 January 2022, Russia's space agency Roscosmos used the piece during the launch webcast for the Elektro-L-4 satellite on a Proton-M rocket, the design of which is approaching retirement. The accompanying video synchronized Proton launches with the beat of the music.
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