Camille Saint-Saen's Bacchanale from Samson and Delila

I know, in the light of our disastrous exam yesterday, it is strange for me to be writing anything positive concerning the French, however I have been listening non-stop today to this piece played in my version, by the Orchestre de Paris. Oooh, now where have I heard about them before. :)
Taking an arabic influence from the setting, one of the most famous melodies from Saint-Saens popular three-act opera, begins slowly with a winding arabic melody while the strings slwoly build on the lively theme as the orchestra begins to awake and flows into a dramatic build-up as the strings play out the themes, subsiding to allow the horns to gradually dominate the lyric before the strings come back in unison to re-instate the main theme before dying down. The arabic influences once more build as the peculiar reminiscent instrumentation winds like a river through the music, with an intricate interplay with the string and brass sections.
The music continues without much major development, simply and gently variating on a new theme, more slow and in a more romantic aura. The woodwind and brass play gracefully with the melody, before the strings once more enter, buildign in volume and number as had been the pattern throughout the Bacchanale.
The final minute sees the main theme re-instated through the strings before giving away to a powerful entry from the horns, finishing with the rolls of the drums, the clash of the cymbals and a final call from the horns.
A fantastic piece, and highly recommended. Find it anyway you can.