Original: Beginning with the plaintive Slavic Orthodox Troparion of the Holy Cross played by eight cellos and four violas , the piece moves through a mixture of pastoral and martial themes portraying the increasing distress of the Russian people at the hands of the invading French .
Simplified: The Overture begins with the plaintive Russian Orthodox Troparion of the Holy Cross ( '' God Preserve Thy People '' ) played by eight cellos and four violas . The piece moves through a mixture of pastoral and militant themes .