by popular demand (?) I'll do a small thread on this. I'll only cover the finale (last 3-4 minutes) because 1. it's easier to follow and 2. it's a good summation of the entire piece's motifs.

1/? https://twitter.com/milktrucker2/status/1340215743862943746

firstly, the 1812 Overture is not about the War of 1812. it's about Napoleon's invasion of Russia during the War of the Sixth Coalition. it's known to most of us, but to many (almost entirely Americans) it bears repeating and clearing up. just getting this out of the way

2/?

one of the main premises of the Overture is the dueling nature of La Marseillaise, representing Napoleon's Grande Armée, and various Russian folk tunes, representing the Russian 1st and 2nd Armies under Field Marshal Prince Barclay de Tolly.

3/?

Tolly knew he was no match for Napoleon on the field, & proposed a scorched earth policy to weaken the massive French army. It proved highly unpopular in the tsar's court, but ultimately worked. After the defeat at Smolensk, he was sacked in favor of Mikhail Kutuzov

4/?

at the start of the Overture, the Marseillaise trades lines with Russian music. it grows louder as the French drive deeper into Russia. French losses to attrition are severe, but Napoleon remains obstinate. Moscow will be his. The tsar demands that Kutuzov make a stand.

5/?

suddenly the Marseillaise explodes amid a cacophony of cannonfire. Kutuzov has chosen to give battle along the Kolocha River, at the village of Borodino. It is the single bloodiest battle of the Napoleonic Wars. France is victorious but at terrible cost. Marse. is triumphant

6/?

but the war is far from over. The Russians have put Moscow to the torch; Napoleon's forces will find no respite. Winter approaches; the strings climb high and play a rapid descending ostinato. the grim reality soon sets in for Napoleon: he may have blundered fatally.

church bells peal out as the tsar asks his people to fill the churches and pray for Russia's salvation. a choir blares forth the lyrics of O Lord, Save Thy People. Russia's armies may have been defeated, but the people's spirit will not be broken.

Napoleon withdraws & begins a painful retreat west. 40,000 will make it back to France from an initial 500,000. the choir now sings God Save the Tsar, for the unthinkable has happened: Russia is saved, & Napoleon defeated. church bells continue ringing