Belshazzar's Feast
Theatre score & suite by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1907)
Native nameBelsazars gästabud
CatalogueJS 48 (score)
Opus51 (suite)
Textplay by Hjalmar Procopé [sv]
LanguageSwedish
Composed1906 (1906), arr. 1907
Movements10 (JS 48); 4 (Op. 51)
Premiere
Date7 November 1906 (1906-11-07)
LocationHelsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
ConductorJean Sibelius
PerformersHelsinki Philharmonic Society

Belshazzar's Feast (in Swedish: Belsazars gästabud), JS 48 (full score) and Op. 51 (concert suite), is theatre music for orchestra written in 1906 by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius to accompany the Finnish playwright Hjalmar Procopé's [sv] Biblically-inspired play (skådespel) of the same name.

John Martin, Belshazzar's Feast, c. 1821; half-size sketch held by the Yale Center for British Art
A 7 November 1906 advertisement from Nya Pressen promoting the premiere of Sibelius's incidental music to Belshazzar's Feast
Hjalmar-Procopé-1910s

History

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Composition

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Premiere

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Procopé's play

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Structure and roles

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Pelléas and Mélisande is a stage drama in five acts; in all, Sibelius wrote ten numbers: seven preludes, two postludes that double as melodrama, and a song. The play includes eight roles, the three principal characters—Mélisande, Pelléas, and Golaud—and five minor. These are as follows:

here Belshazzar, king of Babylonia Mr. Fischer; Queen Mrs. Nygrån; Tiglagth, the king's army officer Mr. Ljungqvist; Aspenas, the king's court master Mr. Lundmark; Sethar, the king's castle bailiff Mr. Larsson; Elieser, the king's counselor, Jew Mr. Svedberg: Hagab and Baruch, the king's officials, Jews Mr. Ahlbom and Lindh; Daniel, by the Chaldeans called Beltesazar Mr. Malmström; Ben Oni, Jewish prophet Mr. Taltroth; Leschanah, Jewess Ms. Tidholm; Khadra, dancer Ms. Kolthoff; Jael, mother of Ben Oni; Mandane and Naame, Leschana's slave women Ms. Lindfors and Reyman; Two Chaldean wise men, Mr. Nycander and Stenström; The superintendent at Istars besieged Mr. Nykopp; a young Syrian slave Mr. Ohlsson; Two older Babylonian men Mr. Precht and Stenström, Two younger Babylonian men Mr. Ranft and Karlsson; Two prostitutes, Mrs. Stavenow and Miss Blomqvist.

The play is in 4 acts, of which the 4th is divided into 2 tableaus. The scene represents: act. 1. A public place in Babylon; act. 2. Hanging Garden in the King's Palace; act. 3. The guest booth hall; act. 4, table 1. Hanging Garden in the Palace; act. 4. table. 2. The king's bedchamber.

Roles Description Appearances Premiere cast
(17 May 1905)
Belshazzar king of Babylonia Josef Fischer [sv]
Leschanah Jewess Ms. Tidholm (Anna Linnea Oscarina Tidholm?)
Khadra Dancer Signe Kolthoff [sv]
Elieser Belshazzar's counselor Mauritz Svedberg [sv]
Jael mother of Ben Oni Ida Brander
Daniel by the Chaldeans called Beltesazar Ernst Malmström [sv]
Ben Oni Jewish prophet Konrad Tallroth

Hj. L review T h f review




Mr. Knudsen's new decorations surpass, if possible, everything he had previously achieved in that way, which admittedly does not mean so little, and can rightly be described as excellent. The greatest credit for the fact that the whole thing appears in such an exemplary manner still belongs to Mr. Wetzer, who left no effort was spared to give Hjalmar Procopé's work as worthy a setting as possible. The author himself was called in after the last act to loud applause and received two magnificent laurel wreaths with attached yellow-red silk ribbons. A laurel wreath was also presented to Jean Sibelius, who furnished the piece with its magnificently illustrated musical number.

Flodin review Bis review

Act I

  • No. 1 – Alla marcia (Moderato)

Act II

  • No. 2a – Prelude: Notturno (Nocturne). Andantino
  • No. 2b – "Den judiska flickans sång" ("The Jewish Girl's Song")

Act III

  • No. 3 – Allegretto
  • No. 4 – Lifvets dans (Dance of Life). Commodo
  • No. 5 – Dödens dans (Dance of Death). Commodo
  • No. 6 – Lifvets dans (Dance of Life) [extract (aber langsam)]

Act IV

  • No. 7 – Tempo sostenuto
  • No. 8 – Allegro
  • No. 9 – Lifvets dans (Dance of Life) [reprised but shortened]
  • No. 10 – Dödens dans (Dance of Death) [reprised]

Synopsis

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Instrumentation

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The incidental music to Belshazzar's Feast is scored for the following instruments,[1] organized by family (woodwinds, brass, percussion, and strings):

In addition to the instrumental forces above, No. 2b "Den judiska flickans sång" ("The Jewish Girl's Song") is a song with female vocalist.[2]

Music

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Recordings

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In 1939, Robert Kajanus made the world premiere recording of Sibelius's Belshazzar's Feast Suite.

Recordings of the entire suite:

No. Conductor Orchestra Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Robert Kajanus London Symphony Orchestra yyyy tttt Naxos
2 Neemi Järvi Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra 1986 14:12 Gothenburg Concert Hall BIS
3 Adrian Leaper Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra 1990 11:32 Reduta Concert Hall Naxos
4 Jukka-Pekka Saraste Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra yyyy 13:12 RCA Red Seal
5 Leif Segerstam Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra 1996 14:22 Kulttuuritalo Ondine
6 Ari Rasilainen [fi] Norwegian Radio Orchestra 2001 12:56 NRK Broadcasting Hall Finlandia Records
7 Joseph Swensen Scottish Chamber Orchestra 2003 13:38 Usher Hall Linn
8 Pietari Inkinen New Zealand Symphony Orchestra 2007 14:31 Michael Fowler Centre Naxos
9 Sakari Oramo BBC Symphony Orchestra 2018 15:55 Watford Colosseum Chandos
. [[]] yyyy tttt
. [[]] yyyy tttt

Recordings of the complete incidental music:

No. Conductor Orchestra Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Osmo Vänskä Lahti Symphony Orchestra 1995 20:16 Ristinkirkko BIS
2 Leif Segerstam Turku Philharmonic Orchestra 2014 21:28 Turku Concert Hall Naxos

Recordings of the suite transcribed for piano:

No. Pianist Rec.[a] Time Recording venue Label Ref.
1 Erik T. Tawaststjerna 1987 11:19 Danderyd Grammar School BIS
2 Kikuo Watanabe Triton
3 Henri Sigfridsson (1) 2007 11:42 SWR Baden-Baden Hans Rosbaud Studio Hänssler
4 Folke Gräsbeck [fi] 2009 11:40 Kuusankoski Hall [fi] BIS
5 Henri Sigfridsson (2) 2013 12:16 Husum Festival [de] Danacord
  1. ^ Dahlström 2003, pp. 234–237.
  2. ^ Dahlström 2003, p. 235.


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