Don Quixote

Op. 35, TrV 184 · “Fantastic variations”

Richard Strauss himself provided the best description of his symphonic poem Don Quixote (1897): “Fantastic variations on a theme of knightly character.” The knight in question is the tragicomic hero of Cervantes’ 17th-century novel, and for Strauss—who had already created colourful orchestral portraits of the roguish Don Juan and Till Eulenspiegel—the subject was a natural choice. The comic adventures of the deluded, idealistic old knight and his facetious squire, Sancho Panza, seemed to demand a larger canvas, and a different kind of musical structure, so Strauss casts a solo cello as the awkward, dignified Quixote, while a tenor tuba and a viola speak for Sancho. Strauss opens with a courteous flourish and introduces a series of melodies for Quixote: chivalrous, quizzical, occasionally (when he dreams of his lady Dulcinea) romantic. As Quixote’s mind becomes confused, so too does the orchestra, until something snaps and Quixote rides out as a shambolic knight-errant. Over 10 variations, Strauss uses all his supreme mastery of orchestral storytelling to depict their adventures: scattering flocks of sheep (bleating brass), flying through the air (cue wind machine), tilting at windmills and dreaming of glory. It can’t last, but there’s a real tenderness in Strauss' portrayal of Quixote’s disillusionment and death: a deeply poignant conclusion from a composer who understood the power of an impossible dream.

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