These dances display Tchaikovsky's remarkable grasp of symphonic writing and are among the very best of his dance sequences.  Carefully transcribed for band, they are taken from the opera "The Oprichnik."  The oprichniki were the personal bodyguards of Tsar Ivan the Terrible. The opening dance features various woodwind solo passages that display a hauntingly poignant Slavic flavor. The second dance begins vigorously and surges forward with ever-increasing accelerandi that lead to a fiery conclusion.