Belshazzar

The drama Belshazzar’s Feast by the Swedishspeaking Finnish author Hjalmar Procopé (1868–1927) – a friend of Jean Sibelius – was performed in Helsinki in 1906. Sibelius composed the incidental music for this work and received more praise for his musical interpretation than Procopé for his drama. Sibelius went on to create a corresponding orchestral suite in 1907, which he conducted the same year, synthesizing the original ten movements of the incidental music down to four for the suite. Though he also incorporated oriental influences into the work, particularly noticeable in the percussion and woodwind writing of the opening Oriental March, he also wished to maintain his Nordic tonal language in his interpretation of the Old Testament story, as can be heard in the work’s other movements. The concluding movement – Khadra’s Dance – is a reflection of the two dances from the original incidental Music.