Belshazzar's Feast (Walton)

Belshazzar's Feast is the title of an oratorio by the English composer William Walton. It was first performed at the Leeds Festival in 1931, and has remained one of the most popular works in the English choral repertoire. The text was arranged from Biblical sources by Osbert Sitwell.

History and commentary

Walton struggled with the setting for several years, and it grew from its original conception as a short work for small forces, as commissioned by the BBC, to its eventual form. Fortunately, this was an age of gifted amateur choruses, and conductors and institutions dedicated to bringing forward new music, and the Leeds Festival took on the first performance.

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At first the work seemed avant-garde because of its extrovert writing and musical complexity, although it is always firmly tonal. The addition of the brass bands was suggested by the conductor Thomas Beecham; the bands were on hand anyway for a performance of Berlioz?s Te Deum, and Beecham said to the young Walton: "As you?ll never hear the thing again, my boy, why not throw in a couple of brass bands?".

Related Topics:
Avant-garde - Tonal - Conductor - Thomas Beecham - Berlioz

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It was an immediate success and is still frequently performed. Despite its familiarity, it does present challenges to the chorus, and it is rare to hear a performance, recorded or in concert, without a few tentative entries.

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Some critical commentary, led by the first review in The Times, claimed that Walton saw no moral distinction between the Jews and the Babylonians, as the music for both groups is equally jubilant and gloating. However, a distinction can be found in the words. Although there is an early sequence where the Jews vow revenge in particularly violent terms, their eventual victory is conveyed in praise and thanksgiving, the words "Alleluia, for great Babylon?s fallen" mixed with regret "while the kings of the earth weep, wail" for the fallen city.

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