Though infrequently performed, the four pieces that make up the suite from Sibelius' incidental score for the play Belshazzar's Feast (1906) are typical of the composer's music in that genre. Though perhaps not ideally suited to concert performance, the music, which contains moments of great poignancy, serves its original purpose extremely well. Steering clear of any traditional means of musical development, Sibelius instead relies on extended formal repetition and the use of ostinato to portray the local color of the drama. The opening "Oriental March" depicts a Babylonian procession; here Sibelius' natural affinity for fusing traditional harmonies with various modal flavors comes to the fore. "Solitude" is a poetic, introspective vision which relies heavily upon ostinato and hushed effects in the strings section. The dissonant, sobbing gestures of "Night Music" remain philosophically in the same vein as "Solitude." The final piece, "Khadra's Dance," is lighter in mood, though features an oboe melody of some pathos.

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