Danse Bacchanale from Samson and Dalila

A bacchanalia is the "Roman festival of Bacchus," and a "drunken revelry". Saint-Saens masterfully captures the exoticism of such a scene, using Middle-Eastern tunes (characterized by melodic intervals of an augmented second) and a full array of colors and effects. Singleton's authentic band setting captures the musical magic of the original opera music, and gives advanced bands an exciting and superbly crafted new transcription to perform.