''Don Quixote'', Op. 35 is a

tone poem A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music, usually in a single continuous movement (music), movement, which illustrates or evokes the content of a poem, short story, novel, painting, landscape, or other (non-musical) source. T ...

Richard Strauss Richard Georg Strauss (; ; 11 June 1864 – 8 September 1949) was a German composer and conductor best known for his Tone poems (Strauss), tone poems and List of operas by Richard Strauss, operas. Considered a leading composer of the late Roman ...

for

cello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), tuned i ...

viola The viola ( , () ) is a string instrument of the violin family, and is usually bowed when played. Violas are slightly larger than violins, and have a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of the ...

, and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * String instruments, such as the violin, viola, cello, ...

. Subtitled ''Phantastische Variationen über ein Thema ritterlichen Charakters'' (''Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character''), the work is based on the novel '' Don Quixote de la Mancha'' by

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra ( ; ; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was a Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelist ...

. Strauss composed this work in Munich in 1897. The premiere took place in Cologne on 8 March 1898, with Friedrich Grützmacher as the cello soloist and Franz Wüllner as the conductor. The score is 45 minutes long and is written in theme and variations form, with the solo cello representing

Don Quixote , the full title being ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'', is a Spanish novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts in 1605 and 1615, the novel is considered a founding work of Western literature and is of ...

, and the solo viola, tenor tuba, and bass clarinet depicting his squire

Sancho Panza Sancho Panza (; ) is a fictional character in the novel ''Don Quixote'' written by Spain, Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra in 1605. Sancho acts as squire to Don Quixote and provides comments throughout the novel, ...

. The second variation depicts an episode where Don Quixote encounters a herd of sheep and perceives them as an approaching army. Strauss uses dissonant flutter-tonguing in the brass to emulate the bleating of the sheep, an early instance of this extended technique. Strauss later quoted this passage in his music for '' Le bourgeois gentilhomme'', at the moment a servant announces the dish of "leg of mutton in the Italian style". Graham Phipps has examined the structure of the work in terms of

Arnold Schoenberg Arnold Schoenberg or Schönberg (13 September 187413 July 1951) was an Austrian and American composer, music theorist, teacher and writer. He was among the first Modernism (music), modernists who transformed the practice of harmony in 20th-centu ...

's ideas of 'surface harmonic logic' and 'developing variation'.

Instrumentation

The work is scored for a large orchestra consisting of the following forces: piccolo, 2

flute The flute is a member of a family of musical instruments in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, producing sound with a vibrating column of air. Flutes produce sound when the player's air flows across an opening. In th ...

s, 2

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double-reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common type of oboe, the soprano oboe pitched in C, ...

English horn The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn (mainly North America), is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially ...

, 2

clarinet The clarinet is a Single-reed instrument, single-reed musical instrument in the woodwind family, with a nearly cylindrical bore (wind instruments), bore and a flared bell. Clarinets comprise a Family (musical instruments), family of instrume ...

s in B (2nd doubling E-flat clarinet),

bass clarinet The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common Soprano clarinet, soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B (meaning it is a transposing instrument on which a written C sounds as B), but it plays no ...

, 3

bassoon The bassoon is a musical instrument in the woodwind family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuosity ...

s, contrabassoon, 6 horns in F, 3

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s in D and F, 3

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s, tenor tuba in B (often performed on

euphonium The euphonium ( ; ; ) is a tenor- and baritone-voiced valved brass instrument. The euphonium is a member of the large family of valved bugles, along with the tuba and flugelhorn, characterised by a wide conical bore. Most instruments have thr ...

tuba The tuba (; ) is the largest and lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece (brass), mouthpiece. It first appeared in th ...

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion instrument, percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a Membranophone, membrane called a drumhead, ...

bass drum The bass drum is a large drum that produces a note of low definite or indefinite pitch. The instrument is typically cylindrical, with the drum's diameter usually greater than its depth, with a struck head at both ends of the cylinder. The head ...

snare drum The snare drum (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often u ...

cymbal A cymbal is a common percussion instrument. Often used in pairs, cymbals consist of thin, normally round plates of various alloys. The majority of cymbals are of indefinite pitch, although small disc-shaped cymbals based on ancient designs sou ...

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three corners and three sides, one of the basic shapes in geometry. The corners, also called ''vertices'', are zero-dimensional points while the sides connecting them, also called ''edges'', are one-dimension ...

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, thoug ...

, wind machine, and strings:

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

violin The violin, sometimes referred to as a fiddle, is a wooden chordophone, and is the smallest, and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in regular use in the violin family. Smaller violin-type instruments exist, including the violino picc ...

s i, ii,

s (including an extensive solo viola part),

violoncello The violoncello ( , ), commonly abbreviated as cello ( ), is a middle pitched bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C ...

s (including an extensive solo violoncello part),

double bass The double bass (), also known as the upright bass, the acoustic bass, the bull fiddle, or simply the bass, is the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument, chordophone in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding rare additions ...

es.

Structure

# Introduction: ''Mäßiges Zeitmaß. Thema mäßig''. "Don Quichotte verliert über der Lektüre der Ritterromane seinen Verstand und beschließt, selbst fahrender Ritter zu werden" ("Don Quixote loses his sanity after reading novels about knights, and decides to become a knight-errant") # Theme: ''Mäßig''. "Don Quichotte, der Ritter von der traurigen Gestalt" ("Don Quixote, knight of the sorrowful countenance") # Maggiore: "Sancho Panza" # Variation I: ''Gemächlich''. "Abenteuer an den Windmühlen" ("Adventure at the Windmills") # Variation II: ''Kriegerisch''. "Der siegreiche Kampf gegen das Heer des großen Kaisers Alifanfaron" ("The victorious struggle against the army of the great emperor Alifanfaron") ctually a flock of sheep# Variation III: ''Mäßiges Zeitmaß''. "Gespräch zwischen Ritter und Knappen" ("Dialogue between Knight and Squire") # Variation IV: ''Etwas breiter''. "Unglückliches Abenteuer mit einer Prozession von Büßern" ("Unhappy adventure with a procession of pilgrims") # Variation V: ''Sehr langsam''. "Die Waffenwache" ("The knight's vigil") # Variation VI: ''Schnell''. "Begegnung mit Dulzinea" ("The Meeting with Dulcinea") # Variation VII: ''Ein wenig ruhiger als vorher''. "Der Ritt durch die Luft" ("The Ride through the Air") # Variation VIII: ''Gemächlich''. "Die unglückliche Fahrt auf dem venezianischen Nachen" ("The unhappy voyage in the enchanted boat") # Variation IX: ''Schnell und stürmisch''. "Kampf gegen vermeintliche Zauberer" ("Battle with the magicians") # Variation X: ''Viel breiter''. "Zweikampf mit dem Ritter vom blanken Mond" ("Duel with the knight of the bright moon") # Finale: ''Sehr ruhig''. "Wieder zur Besinnung gekommen" ("Coming to his senses again" – Death of Don Quixote) \relative c \relative c

In film

The first and second variations are featured in the soundtrack of '' The Lobster'', a 2015 film directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

Selected recordings

* 1932 – Alfred Wallenstein (cello), René Pollain (viola),

Thomas Beecham Sir Thomas Beecham, 2nd Baronet, (29 April 18798 March 1961) was an English conductor and impresario best known for his association with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Philh ...

(conductor),

New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is an American symphony orchestra based in New York City. Known officially as the ''Philharmonic-Symphony Society of New York, Inc.'', and globally known as the ''New York Philharmonic Orchestra'' (NYPO) or the ''New Yo ...

– Columbia * 1933 – Enrico Mainardi (cello), Karl Reitz (viola),

(conductor), Staatskapelle Berlin – Decca * 1938 – Emanuel Feuermann (cello), Carlton Cooley (viola),

Arturo Toscanini Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orche ...

(conductor), NBC Symphony Orchestra – MJA (Concert: October 22, 1938) * 1941 – Oswald Uhl (cello), Philipp Haas (viola),

(conductor),

Bavarian State Orchestra The Bavarian State Orchestra () is the orchestra of the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, Germany. It has given its own series of concerts, the , since 1811. Profile The origins of the ensemble date back to 1523 and the times of composer Ludwig Se ...

– Deutsche Grammophon (''Strauss conducts Strauss'', released in 2014) * 1941 – Gregor Piatigorsky (cello), Vladimir Bakaleinikov (viola), Fritz Reiner (conductor),

Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) is an American orchestra based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The orchestra is resident at Heinz Hall, located in Pittsburgh's Cultural District. Since 2008, the orchestra's music director is Manfred Ho ...

– Columbia * 1943 – Joseph Schuster (cello), William Lincer (viola),

Leonard Bernstein Leonard Bernstein ( ; born Louis Bernstein; August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, pianist, music educator, author, and humanitarian. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was th ...

(conductor), New York Philharmonic (CBS Radio broadcast: November 14, 1943. Released in 1983. An Historic Recording Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Bernstein's New York Philharmonic Debut) * 1945 – Leonard Rose (cello), William Lincer (viola), George Szell (conductor),

– Documents (''Milestones of a Cello Legend: Leonard Rose'', released in 2019) * 1949 – Paul Tortelier (cello), Leonard Rubens (viola),

(conductor),

Royal Philharmonic Orchestra The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (RPO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London, England. The RPO was established by Thomas Beecham in 1946. In its early days, the orchestra secured profitable recording contracts and important engagemen ...

–

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...

* 1953 – Frank Miller (cello), Carlton Cooley (viola), Arturo Toscanini (conductor), NBC Symphony Orchestra – RCA (NBC broadcast: November 22, 1953. Released in 1956) * 1954 – Pierre Fournier (cello), Ernst Morawec (viola),

Clemens Krauss Clemens Heinrich Krauss (31 March 189316 May 1954) was an Austrian conducting, conductor and opera impresario, particularly associated with the music of Richard Strauss, Johann Strauss and Richard Wagner. He founded the Vienna New Year's Concert ...

(conductor), Vienna Philharmonic – Decca * 1955 – Gregor Piatigorsky (cello), Joseph de Pasquale (viola), Charles Munch (conductor),

Boston Symphony Orchestra The Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) is an American orchestra based in Boston. It is the second-oldest of the five major American symphony orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five (orchestras), Big Five". Founded by Henry Lee Higginson in ...

– RCA * 1959 – Samuel Mayes (cello), Joseph de Pasquale (viola),

Pierre Monteux Pierre Benjamin Monteux (; 4 April 18751 July 1964) was a French (later American) conductor. After violin and viola studies, and a decade as an orchestral player and occasional conductor, he began to receive regular conducting engagements in 1 ...

(conductor),

– West Hill Radio Archives (Concert: January 23, 1959) ''Pierre Monteux with the Boston Symphony Orchestra'', released in 2010 * 1959 – Antonio Janigro (cello), Milton Preves (viola), Fritz Reiner (conductor),

Chicago Symphony Orchestra The Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by Theodore Thomas in 1891, the ensemble has been based in the Symphony Center since 1904 and plays a summer season at the Ravinia F ...

– RCA * 1959 – Paul Tortelier (cello), Giusto Cappone (viola), Rudolf Kempe (conductor),

Berlin Philharmonic The Berlin Philharmonic () is a German orchestra based in Berlin. It is one of the most popular, acclaimed and well-respected orchestras in the world. Throughout the 20th century, the orchestra was led by conductors Wilhelm Furtwängler (1922� ...

– His Master's Voice * 1961 – Pierre Fournier (cello), Abraham Skernick (viola), George Szell (conductor), Cleveland Orchestra – Epic Records * 1963 –

Lorne Munroe Lorne Munroe (November 24, 1924 – May 4, 2020) was an American cellist.Gibson, Ronald and Winters, Kenneth"Munroe, Lorne*, ''Encyclopedia of Music in Canada''. Accessed March 12, 2009 He was principal cellist of the Philadelphia Orchestra from ...

(cello), Carlton Cooley (viola), Eugene Ormandy (conductor), Philadelphia Orchestra – Columbia Masterworks * 1964 –

Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich (27 March 192727 April 2007) was a Russian Cello, cellist and conducting, conductor. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enl ...

(cello), Lazar Dvoskin (viola), Kirill Kondrashin (conductor), Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra – EMI * 1966 – Pierre Fournier (cello), Giusto Cappone (viola), Herbert von Karajan (conductor),

– Deutsche Grammophon * 1968 –

Jacqueline du Pré Jacqueline may refer to: People * Jacqueline (given name), including a list of people with the name * Jacqueline Moore (born 1964), ring name "Jacqueline", American professional wrestler Arts and entertainment * ''Jacqueline'' (1923 film) ...

(cello), Herbert Downes (viola), Adrian Boult (conductor),

Philharmonia Orchestra The Philharmonia Orchestra is a British orchestra based in London. It was founded in 1945 by Walter Legge, a classical music record producer for EMI Classics, EMI. Among the conductors who worked with the orchestra in its early years were Rich ...

– EMI * 1969 – Emanuel Brabec (cello), Josef Staar (viola),

Lorin Maazel Lorin Varencove Maazel (; March 6, 1930 – July 13, 2014) was an American conductor, violinist and composer. He began conducting at the age of eight and by 1953 had decided to pursue a career in music. He had established a reputation in t ...

(conductor), Vienna Philharmonic – Decca * 1970 – Lorne Munroe (cello), William Lincer (viola), Leonard Bernstein (conductor), New York Philharmonic – Columbia Masterworks * 1973 – János Starker (cello), Richard Parnas (viola), Antal Doráti (conductor),

National Symphony Orchestra The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in Washington, D.C. Founded in 1930 by cellist Hans Kindler, its principal performing venue is the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The NSO regularly ...

Washington DC, live in New York * 1974 – Kurt Reher (cello), Jan Hlinka (viola),

Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta (born 29 April 1936) is an Indian conductor of Western classical music. He is music director emeritus of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) and conductor :wikt:emeritus, emeritus of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Mehta's father ...

(conductor),

Los Angeles Philharmonic The Los Angeles Philharmonic (LA Phil) is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California. The orchestra holds a regular concert season from October until June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from ...

– Decca * 1974 – Paul Tortelier (cello), Max Rostal (viola), Rudolf Kempe (conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden – EMI * 1975 – Mstislav Rostropovich (cello), Ulrich Koch (viola), Herbert von Karajan (conductor), Berlin Philharmonic – EMI * 1978 – Tibor de Machula (cello), Klaas Boon (viola),

Bernard Haitink Bernard Johan Herman Haitink (; 4 March 1929 – 21 October 2021) was a Dutch conductor and violinist. He was the principal conductor of several international orchestras, beginning with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 1961. He moved to Lond ...

(conductor), Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra – Philips * 1980 – David Geringas (cello), Erich Sichermann (viola), Klaus Tennstedt (conductor), NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra – NDR * 1981 – Miklós Perényi (cello), László Bársony (viola), János Ferencsik (conductor), Hungarian National Philharmonic – Hungaroton * 1985 –

Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma (born October 7, 1955) is a French-born American Cello, cellist. Born to Chinese people, Chinese parents in Paris, he was regarded as a child prodigy there and began to study the cello with his father at age four. At the age of seven, ...

(cello), Burton Fine (viola), Seiji Ozawa (conductor),

– CBS Masterworks * 1986 – Lynn Harrell (cello), Robert Vernon (viola), Vladimir Ashkenazy (conductor), Cleveland Orchestra – Decca * 1987 – Antônio Meneses (cello), Wolfram Christ (viola), Herbert von Karajan (conductor), Berlin Philharmonic – Deutsche Grammophon * 1991 – Heinrich Schiff (cello), Dietmar Hallman (viola), Kurt Masur (conductor),

Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra (Gewandhausorchester; also previously known in German as the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig) is a German symphony orchestra based in Leipzig, Germany. The orchestra is named after the concert hall in which it is bas ...

– Philips * 1991 – János Starker (cello), Oscar Lysy (viola),

Leonard Slatkin Leonard Edward Slatkin (born September 1, 1944) is an American conductor, author and composer. Early life and education Slatkin was born in Los Angeles to a Jewish musical family that came from areas of the Russian Empire now in Ukraine. His fat ...

(conductor), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – RCA * 1991 – Franz Bartolomey (cello), Heinrich Koll (viola),

André Previn André George Previn (; born Andreas Ludwig Priwin; April 6, 1929 – February 28, 2019) was a German-American pianist, composer, and conductor. His career had three major genres: Hollywood films, jazz, and classical music. In each he achieved ...

(conductor), Vienna Philharmonic – Telarc * 1991 – John Sharp (cello), Charles Pikler (viola),

Daniel Barenboim Daniel Moses Barenboim (; born 15 November 1942) is an Argentines, Argentine-Israeli classical pianist and conductor based in Berlin, who also has Spain, Spanish and State of Palestine, Palestinian citizenship. From 1992 until January 2023, Bare ...

(conductor),

– Erato * 1992 –

Steven Isserlis Steven John Isserlis (born 19 December 1958) is a British cellist. An acclaimed soloist, chamber musician, educator, writer and broadcaster, he is widely regarded as one of the leading musicians of his generation. He is also noted for his div ...

(cello), Cynthia Phelps (viola), Edo de Waart (conductor), Minnesota Orchestra – Virgin Classics * 2001 –

(cello), Hermann Menninghaus (viola),

(conductor), Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra – RCA * 2003 – Thomas Grossenbacher (cello), Michel Rouilly (viola), David Zinman (conductor), Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich – Arte Nova * 2003 – Mischa Maisky (cello), Tabea Zimmermann (viola),

(conductor),

– Deutsche Grammophon * 2004 – Jan Vogler (cello), Sebastian Herberg (viola), Fabio Luisi (conductor), Staatskapelle Dresden – Sony * 2013 – Alban Gerhardt (cello),

Lawrence Power Lawrence Power is a British violist, born 1977, noted both for solo performances and for chamber music with the Nash Ensemble and Leopold String Trio. Career Power started out as a violist (rather than beginning studies on the violin and swi ...

(viola), Markus Stenz (conductor), Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne – Hyperion * 2019 – Daniel Müller-Schott (cello), Christopher Moore (viola), Andrew Davis (conductor), Melbourne Symphony Orchestra – ABC Classics * 2019 – Kian Soltani (cello), Miriam Manasherov (viola),

(conductor), West–Eastern Divan Orchestra – Peral Music * 2019 – Louisa Tuck (cello), Catherine Bullock (viola), Vasily Petrenko (conductor), Oslo Philharmonic – LAWO * 2021 – Jean-Guihen Queyras (cello), Tabea Zimmermann (viola), François-Xavier Roth (conductor), Gürzenich Orchestra Cologne – Harmonia Mundi

References

External links

* *Program Notes
Richard Strauss: Don Quixote
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Richard Strauss: Don Quixote
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Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra The Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra (ISO) is a major American orchestra based in Indianapolis, Indiana. The largest performing arts organization in Indiana, the orchestra was founded in 1930 and is based at the Hilbert Circle Theatre in downtown ...

Fantastic Variations
(December 25, 1968) - Young People's Concerts Script by Leonard Bernstein *Audio and video
Orquesta Sinfónica de Galicia
Dennis Russell Davies conductor, Pablo Ferrández violoncello and Francisco Regozo viola. Live performance. {{Authority control Tone poems by Richard Strauss Music based on Don Quixote 1897 compositions Humor in classical music Compositions for cello and orchestra Compositions for viola and orchestra