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Belshazzar's Feast
Theatre score & suite by Jean Sibelius
The composer (c. 1907)
Native name	Belsazars gästabud
Catalogue	JS 48 (score)
Opus	51 (suite)
Text	play by Hjalmar Procopé
Language	Swedish
Composed	1906 (1906), arr. 1907
Movements	10 (JS 48); 4 (Op. 51)
Premiere
Date	7 November 1906 (1906-11-07)
Location	Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
Conductor	Jean Sibelius
Performers	Helsinki 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 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

Procopé's play

Structure and roles

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
Leschanah	Jewess		Ms. Tidholm (Anna Linnea Oscarina Tidholm?)
Khadra	Dancer		Signe Kolthoff
Elieser	Belshazzar's counselor		Mauritz Svedberg
Jael	mother of Ben Oni		Ida Brander
Daniel	by the Chaldeans called Beltesazar		Ernst Malmström
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]

Instrumentation

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

• 1 flute (doubling piccolo in Nos. 3, 5, 8, 10) and 2 clarinets
• 2 horns
• Timpani, bass drum, cymbals, tambourine, and triangle
• Violins (I and II), violas, cellos, and double basses

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

Recordings

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.	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	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
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Recordings of the complete incidental music:

No.	Conductor	Orchestra	Rec.	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.	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	2009	11:40	Kuusankoski Hall	BIS
5	Henri Sigfridsson (2)	2013	12:16	Husum Festival	Danacord