Independence Day

“We will not go quietly into the night!" We will not vanish without a fight! We're going to live on! We're going to survive! Today we celebrate our Independence Day!”

- President Thomas Whitmore

Yes, today is the 4th of July, a day of patriotic celebrations all over the nation. The celebration takes many forms, from fireworks to barbecues to parades. One of my favorite celebrations comes on the night of July 4th, when the Boston Pops perform at the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in a concert that is broadcast across the country. The concert itself isn’t always particularly exciting. There’s usually a guest artist, often from the vaguely named “adult contemporary” genre. A couple of years ago, it was Barry Manilow. This year, it’s Neil Diamond.

But, the way the concert ends is spectacular. The final piece of the evening is always Tchaikovsky’s bombastic 1812 overture, leading into fireworks over the Charles River. Tchaikovsky’s piece is a strange choice for a celebration of American independence. It has nothing to do with the American war of 1812, but rather was written to commemorate the Russians driving back Napoleon in 1812. Indeed, it portrays a sort of musical competition between the traditional Russian anthem “God Save the Czar” and the French anthem “La Marseillaise” (if you don’t know the latter tune, it is used as the introduction to the Beatles’ Summer of Love classic “All You Need is Love”).

It wasn’t appropriated as an American tradition until 1974, when Arthur Fiedler, the longtime conductor of the Pops, featured it in the July 4th concert in an effort to increase the event’s audience. The timing seems a bit odd, as the Cold War was in full swing at the time, but I’m glad he made the choice he did. Despite the piece’s Russian roots, it is a perfect fit for an Independence Day celebration, clearly portraying a struggle that ends with a triumphant finale, complete with blasts from a cannon. It is a wonderfully rousing way of transitioning from concert to fireworks show, and I’m looking forward to enjoying it again this year.

Happy 4th of July!

Tchaikovsky – 1812 Overture (YSI) (filesavr)