It is July Forth holidays and again across American will be placing the Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture. Among near 20 overtures that Tchaikovsky’s composed it is difficult to find as bad composition as the 1812 Overture and it is very sorry that we Americans picked this pitiable work as the traditional play during our national holiday.

However, with all my desire to bitch about the composition it would not compare with my hate of how this generally poorly composird peace is performed. I am not talking about out pop orchestras in the July Fourth’s shells but about the numerous and numerous attempts to get something out of the 1812 Overture in the concert halls by the effort of the serious orchestras…

I think I heard them all. Actual I never was able to "hear" them  in a whole as I was  not able to tolerate more then 2-3 minuses from ANY performance. Interesting the most famous performances that I was advised turned out to be the most musicly-barbarian performances.. It is not that I was looking for the better performance. The work itself is very bad and all that I was asking juts do not play it.

Then it came.

It was my favorite conductor - Nikolay Golovanov who in 1948 with Russian Radio Orchestra did with 1812 overture something absolutely mind-boggling. When I hear it for a first time 4 years ago, juts the first accords of the opening thyme I said, “It is absolutely imposable!” When Golovanov dive in the middle of the peaces, crashing across the fight between the Slav’s apprising tunes with “La marseillaise” it was clearly that how Golovanov interpreted the 1812 and WHAT and HOW his orchestra played the work made it one of the most memorable listing experiences I even had. And in the end when Golovanov’s tubas wiped the Napoleon army and warned about the furine then all downs evaporated: it was absolute geniuses performance and there is no other 1812 overtures that could ever remotely sound the same.

I would tell you even more: I NEVER hear any Russian symphonic orchestra, under a button of any conductor, than would plays with such a stunning level of virility, might, effectiveness, professionalism and unity. It is unquestionably the recording that sits in my shelves of “The Best Performances Ever” as one of the brightest shiniest stars.

Rgs,
Romy the ca

I've casually found at a record shop near my place one of the Great Conductors of the 20th Century CDs, dedicated to Golovanov. It's a two CD set and includes the 1812 Overture with the Moscow Radio Orch (In spite at Amazon they state the Monaco Radio...), recorded in Moscow in 1948:
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B00005V33I.01._SCMZZZZZZZ_.jpg 
I've listened the two CDs and I can understand your liking for this conductor, he's phenomenal. I don't know if the 1812 included is even close to the one you have, but it's certainly different from any other I have listened to before. It's crisp, energical, alive and also subtle, very fluid and "story telling". The very beginning is amazing with all the strings sounding as if it were a chamber work. No "bombasting cannons" and arguable sound quality, but wonderful music and playing. I never had the feeling before that that music was depicting a war and who were the winners and who the loosers. Thanks for your comment, if it weren't for it I doubt I had bought that disc.

brgs,

aj

Anthony,

Under no circumstance buy this CD. This CD is coming from the “Great Conductors of the Century” collection and this entire collection has a horrible mastering and very bad sound.  There was an Eastern Europe company (I think Russian $ Czech) called “Boheme Music” and they did a phenomenal production of many things including the Golovanov’s recording. They have 12 Golovanov’s CDs and all of then are superb, in practically the Rachmaninov’s symphonies. I would avoid to but only one CD form that collection – it was Mozart’s Requiem about all the rest are absolutely wonderful, including the quality of Sound.

http://www.musicabona.com/search/index.html.fr?t=cd%2F&fc=search&key=Golovanov&x=18&y=14