Festival Coronation March - Misplaced Pages

The Festival Coronation March in D major, TH 50, ČW 47, is an orchestral work by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ordered by the city of Moscow for the coronation of Tsar Alexander III in 1883. It was written during March 1883 and performed for the first time on June 4 [O.S. May 23], 1883 in Sokolniki Park (Moscow), conducted by Sergei Taneyev. The music included excerpts of the anthem God Save the Tsar. Recordings of this piece generally run between 5 and 5½ minutes.

First performances

The Saint Petersburg premiere was on January 10, 1885 [O.S. December 29, 1884], conducted by Hans von Bülow.

The American premiere was on May 5, 1891, for the opening concert of Carnegie Hall, conducted by Tchaikovsky himself.

Modern revisions

During the Soviet Era, Russian performances and recordings of the music were revised to omit the excerpts from the Czarist national anthem, replacing it with thematic material used earlier in the march. Other works that quoted or otherwise used the anthem, such as Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave and 1812 Overture, were also revised, due to an official Soviet ban on the anthem.

Starting with Dmitri Medvedev’s inauguration in 2008, an abbreviated version of this piece is played during the Russian presidential inauguration accompanying the entrance of the incoming president. This version lasts less than two minutes, and so ends well before the playing in this piece of the Tsarist anthem God Save the Tsar. Unlike Tchaikovsky’s other major compositions, the Coronation March does not have an opus number. It has been given the alternative catalogue designations TH 50 and ČW 47.

References

^ Tchaikovsky Research: Coronation March (TH 50)
"Russian National Anthem "God Save the Tsar" in Tchaikovsky's Music". Russian Anthems Museum. Archived from the original on 2006-07-10. Retrieved 2006-08-07.
Alexander Poznansky & Brett Langston, The Tchaikovsky Handbook, Vol. 1 (2002) Tchaikovsky Research: The Tchaikovsky Handbook
Polina Vaidman, Liudmila Korabel’nikova, Valentina Rubtsova, Thematic and Bibliographical Catalogue of P. I. Čajkovskij's Works (2006), and P. I. Čajkovskij. New Edition of the Complete Works (1993–date)

External links

Tchaikovsky Research
Various performances of this piece on YouTube
- One specific recording where the Soviets chopped out the God Save the Tsar music (at 4:10), causing a bad editing glitch
Downloadable recordings of the march
Video of Dmitri Medvedev’s entrance into his inauguration on May 7, 2008, accompanied by an abbreviated version of this piece.
Video of Vladimir Putin’s entrance into his third inauguration on May 7, 2012, accompanied by an abbreviated version of this piece.

v t e Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
List of compositions Musical style Symphonies The Five Belyayev circle Death
Operas	The Voyevoda Undina The Oprichnik Vakula the Smith Eugene Onegin The Maid of Orleans Mazepa (or Mazeppa) Cherevichki The Enchantress The Queen of Spades Iolanta
Ballets	Swan Lake The Sleeping Beauty The Nutcracker
Symphonies	No. 1 in G minor (Winter Daydreams) No. 2 in C minor (Little Russian) No. 3 in D major (Polish) No. 4 in F minor Symphony in B minor (Manfred) No. 5 in E minor No. 6 in B minor (Pathétique) Symphony in E♭ major (unfinished)
Concertante	Piano Concerto No. 1 in B♭ minor Piano Concerto No. 2 in G major Piano Concerto No. 3 in E♭ major Concert Fantasia Andante and Finale Sérénade mélancolique Valse-Scherzo Violin Concerto in D major Variations on a Rococo Theme Pezzo capriccioso Cello Concerto
Orchestral works	Romeo and Juliet The Tempest Hamlet Capriccio Italien Francesca da Rimini The Storm Fatum The Voyevoda 1812 Overture Marche slave Festival Overture on the Danish National Anthem Festival Coronation March Orchestral Suite No. 1 in D minor Orchestral Suite No. 2 in C major Orchestral Suite No. 3 in G major Orchestral Suite No. 4 in G major (Mozartiana) Serenade for Strings
Vocal music	Liturgy of St John Chrysostom All-Night Vigil Moscow Six Romances (Op. 38)
Chamber music	Quartet Movement in B♭ major String Quartet No. 1 in D major String Quartet No. 2 in F major String Quartet No. 3 in E♭ minor Souvenir d'un lieu cher Piano Trio in A minor String Sextet in D minor (Souvenir de Florence)
Piano music	Scherzo à la russe Souvenir de Hapsal The Seasons Grand Piano Sonata in G major Piano Sonata No. 2 in C♯ minor
Portrayals	Tchaikovsky (1970 film) The Music Lovers (1971 film)
People	Modest Ilyich Tchaikovsky (brother) Vladimir Davydov (nephew) Antonina Miliukova (wife) Nadezhda von Meck (patron)
Related	In popular media Tchaikovsky State House-Museum Tchaikovsky Museum (Votkinsk) Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra Chaikovskij (crater) International Tchaikovsky Competition International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians Life
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