Take it or leave it, I’m sharing part of one of my favorite classical music pieces. Scheherazade is based on the One Thousand and One Nights (also known as Arabian Nights), which tells the story of an Arab Sultan:

The Sultan Schakhriar, convinced that all women are false and faithless, vowed to put to death each of his wives after the first nuptial night. But the Sultana Scheherazade saved her life by entertaining her lord with fascinating tales, told seriatim, for a thousand and one nights. The Sultan, consumed with curiosity, postponed from day to day the execution of his wife, and finally repudiated his bloody vow entirely.

This second part is sometimes titled, The Story of the Kalendar Prince.

According to the Arabian Nights, there are three Kalandar Princes, each of whom began as a prince but suffered a series of misfortunes, resulting in their blinding in one eye and reduction to a life of poverty as a Kalandar (a beggar or mendicant). The exact story that Rimsky-Korsakov drew inspiration from is unclear, but the music conveys a sense of adventure and drama.

I’m using this particular video because it is by a group that has very few subscribers, and they appear to use traditional instruments for some parts of the symphonic suite. The composer often incorporates folk music, particularly that of eastern Europe, which isn’t surprising, since he is Russian! Scheherazade debuted in 1888.