Tchaikovsky wrote the Ouverture solennelle “1812” for the opening of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, one of the most impressive Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow. Written in the form of a Battaglia, the musical depiction of a battle scene, it commemorates the historic victory of the Russian people over Napoleon’s invasion.
The beginning is marked by a Russian Orthodox prayer termed Troparion of the Holy Cross—Oh Lord, save Thy people!—the supplication of the Russian people for divine protection.
This prayer scene actually happened. When the invasion by the massive French army was imminent, the church called on the people to pray for deliverance and peace. The Russian people responded en masse, gathering in churches all across the Empire praying for divine intervention.
Tchaikovsky wrote the popular tune of the troparion to be played by four cellos and two violas. But in 1966, Herbert von Karajan recorded the first bars with voices singing the actual Orthodox chant. The recording we have chosen for Music of the Week uses this format, with the voices of the Yuriov Chapel Choir singing the prayer alongside the Bolshoi Symphony Orchestra.
Yet the hidden star of this recording is the captivating Japanese conductor Tomomi Nishimoto, whose compelling presence and expressive conducting through body and breath are thrilling in their own right.
Nishimoto received a degree in composing from the Osaka College of Music and later went to St. Petersburg, studying symphonic orchestra conducting at the St. Petersburg Conservatory.
One of Japan’s most decorated conductors, Nishimoto has a particular interest in combining music and the arts with science and technological innovation and has founded the IlluminArt Philharmonic Orchestra and choir of Tokyo.
“Try to imagine that music is an architectural object invisible to the human eye,” she says when asked about her approach to conducting, in which she strives to build the cathedral of sound that the composer had in mind.
Related:
1812 Overture (Wikipedia)
Tomomi Nishimoto 西本智実 (Website)
Tomomi Nishimoto (Wikipedia)
Tomomi Nishimoto: ‘I conduct to collectively realise a dream’ (TimeOut)
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