Ouverture solennelle “1812”

The Overture Solennelle "1812" is an orchestral overture by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, written in 1880. The score uses large orchestral forces with prominent brass, percussion and optional cannon fire to create bold, martial sonorities, and it was written late in Tchaikovsky's career as a large-scale concert work that contrasts solemn chorale-like passages with dramatic orchestral climaxes and folk-inspired material.