Made with Xara 1812 and 2012: One of the most dramatic pieces of music in the classical repertoire must be Tchaikovsky’s overture “The Year 1812.” It was commissioned in 1880 for the consecration of the Cathedral of Christ the Redeemer which had been built in Moscow to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon in 1812. Clearly the public would expect something powerfully patriotic, and Tchaikovsky was not going to disappoint them. “It will be very noisy,” he wrote. He intended the first performance to be in the large square outside the Cathedral, with a huge orchestra supplemented by real artillery firing in the background. The result was certainly loud enough. In fact the 1812 begins quietly, with a sombre traditional hymn-tune, and this depicts the peaceful Russians waiting for the advance of the enormous French army. Then the music grows restless: Napoleon’s power is proclaimed by horns and trumpets before a Russian folk dance begins to encourage the peasants. The Battle of Borodino has the Marseillaise competing against the Russian music as percussion instruments clash with each other. Napoleon reaches Moscow but is then forced to withdraw, and the opening hymn-tune returns, (reinforced at the original performance by the bells of the Cathedral). This leads to the victorious climax – the Russian National Anthem complete with cannon! And what of Napoleon? Sometimes life throws up characters that are arrogant, pretentious or overbearing. Most of us instinctively like to see such people cut down to size. Napoleon invaded Russia with an army of half-a-million men. He came back a few months later with barely 20,000. Today “Napoleon’s retreat from Moscow” is synonymous with disaster and humiliation on a grand scale. So that was the Year 1812. What about the Year 2012? Of course it is impossible to predict the future, though we can be pretty confident that we are going to hear an almighty amount of fuss about the Olympic Games in London before the year is over. And as far as our local churches go it is clear that there will be a lot of hard work: we have got at least three dozen weddings booked in the East Richmond benefice during 2012 plus a Confirmation Service with 19 candidates. In January the post of Team Rector will be advertised nationally, with the hope that interviews can take place early in March. So there might be a new incumbent in place by the late summer or the autumn. But nothing is certain and there are no guarantees - just ask Napoleon about that! David Lewis.