After I completed the Russian culture calendar for August, I had another dilemma to deal with: Why was there so much Tchaikovsky on it?

At first, I thought it might be an anniversary that hadn't popped up on the Russian calendar I've set up. But no: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in what is now the Republic of Udmurtia (bordering on Perm krai) on May 7, 1840 and died on Nov. 6, 1893. There didn't seem to be any other significant dates in his life with August connections.

And then, of course, I stumbled on the obvious: The 1812 Overture or, more properly the Festival Overture "The Year 1812". Its need for cannon fire has made it a staple of outdoor pops concerts all across the U.S. Sometimes you hear it among the patriotic music at our Fourth of July celebrations, but it has nothing to do with our war of 1812 against the British (that war inspired The Star Spangled Banner). In 1880, Tchaikovsky was commissioned to write a piece for a celebration that would mark the 25th anniversary of the reign of Tsar Alexander II.

The composer found his inspiration in a battle fought in 1812 between the Russian army and Napoleon in Borodino, which you can visit if your adoption journey takes you to Krasnoyarsk krai. It wasn't so much the fight that did the Little General in, but the walk back to Paris: Thanks to Russia's winter weather and its own poor supply lines, Napoleon's army shrank to 40,000 from perhaps as much as 650,000.

Tchaikovsky wrote his 1812 Overture to be performed outside, with live canons, in front of what was then the new Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow. But the performance never happened because the Tsar was assassinated in March 1881. The cathedral didn't fare much better: It was blown up on Stalin's orders in 1931. But with perestroika, the Russian Orthodox Church was given permission to rebuild, and the new cathedral was consecrated on Aug. 19, 2000.

Finally, an August connection!

Image: Tchaikovsky's tomb in St. Petersburg
Image Credit: skept