The Charleston Symphony
Orchestra League, Inc. 2008 Gala
As usual, our 2008 Gala will
coincide with the opening Masterworks concert
of the Charleston Symphony Orchestra on Saturday,
September 27, 2008. The concert will start with
a rousing rendition of Tchaikovsky's 1812
Overture, followed by Prokofiev's Alexander
Nevsky. In honor of these Russian composers,
the Gala will be themed as a "Russian
Soiree".
Tchaikovsky
was commissioned to write this spectacular piece
back in 1880, for the opening of the new Cathedral
of Christ the Savior, which was designed to
commemorate the events of 1812, when Napoleon
had been forced to retreat from Moscow with
his soldiers worn out by the cold Russian winter.
Tchaikovsky made his overture a graphic description
of the conflict.
The French are represented
by the Marselleise, the Russians by Orthodox
Chant and a folksong, and in the final victory,
“God Save the Tsar”. And, just to
round out an already over the top piece, Tchaikovsky
added a few cannons in the score. Click
here for a music preview by the London Symphony
Orchestra .
