Some Japanese orchestras have decided to stop performing a piece by Russian composer Tchaikovsky (1840-93) that celebrates Russia's defense against a French invasion in 1812.
Popular among Japanese classical audiences, Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" is being pulled from some concert programs amid concerns about performing the piece while Russia's invasion of Ukraine is ongoing.
The overture contains Russian hymns and folk tunes as well as the French national anthem "La Marseillaise," which is gradually drowned out by the national anthem of Imperial Russia, symbolizing victory by the Russian troops against the Napoleon-led French invaders.
Percussion instruments are struck to resemble cannons and the triumphant sound of bells ring out in the finale. Real cannons have even been used during some outdoor performances.
The Hyogo Prefecture-based Akashi Philharmonic Orchestra was planning to perform the overture at a concert on March 21 but hastily removed it from the program. "We decided it was not appropriate to play a piece that celebrates Russia's victory over another country," an orchestra official explained.
At the combined junior and senior high school, Tokyo Metropolitan Hakuo, the brass band has also decided not to perform the overture at an April 4 concert following a meeting in which students voiced their concerns about the situation in Ukraine, with some stressing that the music was not to blame.
"The students, who have been practicing very hard, held a discussion and reached the decision. We'd like to respect that," said Akiko Miyata, the principal of Tokyo Metropolitan Hakuo.
The Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra in Komaki, Aichi Prefecture, has dropped the overture from its March 26 concert, replacing it with "Finlandia" by the Finnish composer Sibelius, who wrote the piece in 1899 as a tribute to people resisting imperial Russia's oppressive rule.
During a demonstration in front of the Russian Embassy in Helsinki on March 1, hundreds of protesters sang lyrics from the piece in a sign of solidarity with Ukraine.
A Chubu Philharmonic Orchestra official said: "We chose the piece to show our support for Ukraine. But we are not disavowing Tchaikovsky's music." Excerpts from the Russian composer's ballet suite, "The Nutcracker," have been added to the program.
"Arts should not necessarily be affected by politics, but performing this grand overture when the Russian military invasion is sending shockwaves around the whole world strikes a nerve," said music critic Kazushi Ishida said. "Moves to ditch the piece from concert programs are unavoidable."
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