Alongside the great symphonies and tone poems, music for the theatre played an important rôle in Sibelius’s development. From exquisite nocturnal tranquility to the macabre ‘Dance of Life’, Belshazzar’s Feast is an exotic tale of seduction and tragedy to which Sibelius responded with some of his most hauntingly beautiful writing for the stage. The early Menuetto and lively Cortege were considered good enough by the composer to be recycled for further stage productions, while the Overture in E and Scene de Balletstarted life as Sibelius’s first attempt at composing a symphony.