When the February Revolution of 1917 broke out in Petrograd, Sergei Prokofiev resettled in the USA, stating that his native Russia “had no use for music in the mean time.” Quickly after arriving in New York, the 28-year-old Prokofiev acquired a fee from Zimro, a touring Soviet ensemble made up of Russian Jewish immigrants. The brand new sextet was to be primarily based on themes from a pocket book of Jewish folksongs.
In his autobiography, the composer writes,
Within the autumn, the Jewish ensemble Zimro got here to America. It consisted of a string quartet, a clarinetist, and pianist. All of them had been fellow pupils of mine on the Petersburg Conservatory. They’d a repertoire of fairly attention-grabbing Jewish music for varied instrumental mixtures. They requested me to jot down an overture for six devices for them and gave me a pocket book of Jewish melodies. At first, I didn’t need to take it as a result of I used to be accustomed to utilizing my very own themes. However lastly I saved it and one night I selected a few good melodies from it and started to improvise on them on the piano. I didn’t place a lot significance on this overture, but it surely was fairly successful.
Composed in 1919, the Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34 begins with a stately festive dance (Un poco allegro), launched by the clarinet. We hear the distinct vocal inflections of klezmer, with its mix of pleasure tinged with melancholy. The second theme (Più mosso) is cantabile and rhapsodic. At occasions, the nostalgic instrumental dialog is enveloped in colourful and dreamy ostinati.
Orchestral Model
Fifteen years after finishing the unique composition, Prokofiev created a model for chamber orchestra. The work is often heard on this kind. This efficiency, that includes Latvian conductor Andris Poga and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, was recorded in February of 2025:
Sextet
Right here is the unique model for string quartet, clarinet, and piano. This 1994 recording options clarinetist Giora Feidman, pianist Yefim Bronfman, and the Juilliard String Quartet:
Recordings
- Prokofiev: Overture on Hebrew Themes, Op. 34, Giora Feidman, Yefim Bronfman, Juilliard String Quartet Amazon
Featured Picture: Sergei Prokofiev in Chicago, 1919
