Movement
Its structure follows the form of a fairly conventional overture. It is in the key of C minor. The clarinet and the cello are very prominent, introducing the first and the second themes, respectively. However, all instruments are balanced well, and each instrument plays both themes, often in imitation. The piano part, interestingly, is not very difficult in comparison to Prokofiev's many virtuoso piano works; Zimro's pianist was probably an amateur.
Jewish folk music has a paradoxically happy-yet-tragic and festive quality that many, including Dmitri Shostakovich, found very powerful. The first theme, un poco allegro, has a jumpy and festive rhythm, resembling those of gypsy airs. It also has a very characteristic use of semitone intervals, which recur throughout the whole work. The second theme, piu mosso, is a very songful cantabile theme, well-suited to the cello's upper range, that is then treated imitatively by all the other instruments.
Read more about this topic: Overture On Hebrew Themes
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