About the creation

The First Symphony was written in Jerusalem in 1952 and first performed under the baton of Heinz Freudenthal in various European countries in 1956; the first performance in Israel took place in an Israel Philharmonic subscription concert in February 1957, with the same conductor. The composer describes his work as follows:

"This symphony consists of a single movement divided into three sections that follow each other without break. The thematic material is developed out of music originally conceived for the choreographic creation 'By the Waters of Babylon' inspired by Deborah Bertonoff. In this work I have used an ancient Persian-Jewish Lamentation as transcribed by A. Z. Idelsohn; the ancient tune actually furnished the entire motivic material for the symphony.

In is beginning, small melodic turns of the song are developed; through enlargement and variation they create new musical themes. After a slow introduction in the spirit of the Lamentation, there follows a transformation breathing the air of rebellion. In the second section, the ancient tune appears in its original form. In a series of simple variations it is taken up by various groups of instruments and developed in a quiet and restful way. The third section, which sets in after a short transitional passage, returns to the material of the opening. The passive spirit of the Lamentation is now transformed into a more active dance-movement which gradually increases in intensity and strength. The symphony ends with a short Coda, in which reminiscences of the past are combined with the youthful rhythms – and thus closes the circle."