Scheherazade, “The Baghdad Festival—The Sea—The Shipwreck

If I had not known the name or where this piece of music came from, I would still be inclined to listen to it as program music. Even without the title, the song strongly portrays a series of powerful narratives. The first few seconds of the music serve to get our attention, we then hear a pause and the introduction of the violin. This violin acts as an introduction for the rest of the movement. It is as if it the narrator were preparing us for the series of events we are about to take part in.
The first section of the movement named “The Baghdad Festival,” indeed does take on the musical qualities of a festival. The tempo is fast and the music is cheerful. Even without knowing the title to this part of the movement, the excited tone of the music bring...