2013
Program Notes, Book 1 A15
Friday, June 14 and Saturday, June 15, 2013
other works of his early maturity, while that for the Russians derives from the Romantic
traditions of such 19th-century masters as Borodin, Rimsky-Korsakov and Mussorgsky.
Eisenstein noted that the opening movement portrays “woeful traces of the ravages
wrought on Russia by the Mongols — heaps of human bones, swords, rusty lances. Fields
overgrown with weeds and ruins of burned villages.” In stark contrast is the grand and
mighty Song about Alexander Nevsky, which recalls the hero’s glorious deeds against
the Swedes. In the third movement (The Crusaders in Pskov), a Latin chant is used to
express the hypocritical righteousness of the Teutons, while harsh brass sonorities depict
their military aggressiveness. A plaintive melody for orchestra alone in the middle of this
movement indicates the sadness of the Russian people in the face of yet another national
tragedy. Arise Ye Russian People is a valiant hymn urging victory over the foe.
The Battle on the Ice is among the most vivid depictions of warfare in the annals of
music. The movement opens with music suggesting the stark, frozen, hazy landscape
at dawn, with the armies nervously awaiting the hour of battle. Mechanical rhythms
signal the sinister advance of the Teutons. Bits of themes representing both sides seek
dominance, but it is finally the Russians who prevail. The movement’s hushed, breathless
close brings the realization of the frightful pain and loss inflicted by the day’s battle. In
poignant contrast to the tumult of the battle is The Field of the Dead, the plaintive song
of a mourning peasant girl as she searches for the body of her lover. The closing section
(
Alexander’s Entry into Pskov) is a triumphant song of victory.
©2013 Dr. Richard E. Rodda
