Strauss: Don Quixote
PROGRAMME NOTES
written by AURÉLIE WALSCHAERT
Emilie Mayer Faust-Ouverture, Op. 46 (1879)
Robert Schumann Cello Concerto in A minor, Op. 129 (1850)
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Richard Strauss Don Quixote, Op. 35 (Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character) (1897)
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30.10.2026 FLAGEY BRUSSELS
Strauss: Don Quixote
Gallant, impassioned and introspective – these are qualities shared by both the cello and the hero of the Spanish novel Don Quixote. It is hardly surprising that Richard Strauss (1864–1949) chose this instrument to embody the chivalrous hero in his symphonic poem of the same name. Robert Schumann (1810–1856), too, was captivated by the cello’s lyrical voice and emotional range, composing his only Cello Concerto in the space of just two weeks. His wife, Clara Schumann, was immediately enthralled: ‘I played through Robert’s Cello Concerto once again, and gave myself a truly musical and happy hour. Its romantic spirit, vitality, freshness and humour, together with the wonderfully intricate interplay between cello and orchestra, are utterly delightful!’ As a composer, Clara was every bit the equal of her husband. Yet by marrying Robert, she effectively set her own compositional career aside. Their contemporary Emilie Mayer (1812–1883) deliberately chose a different path. Determined to make her living as a professional composer, she built an impressive body of work, including a number of remarkable orchestral compositions such as her Faust Overture.
Forgotten pioneer
On 20 April 1850, the Berlin newspaper Vossische Zeitung announced a concert at the city theatre featuring works by the then little-known German composer Emilie Mayer: ‘On Sunday morning, the musical world may look forward to an event of exceptional interest. A lady will present a number of her own compositions at the Royal Theatre (…) A concert programme consisting entirely of works by a woman is, to the best of our knowledge and experience, unprecedented in the history of music.’ Mayer proved to be well ahead of her time. The Neue Berliner Musikzeitung was equally impressed: ‘Until now, a woman’s hand has conquered little beyond the art song (…), but a string quartet, let alone a symphony displaying all the necessary mastery of thematic development and orchestration – that is truly exceptional.’
Mayer had a particular affinity for orchestral music, especially overtures. She composed around fifteen of them, although only a third have survived. The best known is her Faust Overture, the only work in the genre to be based on a literary programme. It also tackles a distinctly male subject, one that fellow composers Schumann, Berlioz, Liszt and Wagner had already explored. Yet Mayer may have felt a stronger connection to Gretchen, the female protagonist of Goethe’s Faust. The only extra-musical indication at the end of the score seems to confirm this: ‘Sie ist gerettet’ (‘She is saved’).
The première of Mayer’s Faust Overture in 1881 was warmly received by both audiences and critics. The work was performed in several European cities, and an arrangement for piano four hands was published. Yet after her death, her entire output slipped into obscurity. That began to change with the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of her birth in 2012. Since then, interest in her music has steadily grown. In 2023, for example, the Berliner Symphoniker devoted a retrospective to her work and released a film honouring the composer, with her Faust Overture serving as its soundtrack.
Defying convention
Schumann composed his only Cello Concerto in the space of just two weeks. On 10 October 1850, he noted in his diary that he ‘felt the urge to compose’, and by 24 October he was able to record that the concerto was complete. Having only recently taken up his post as Music Director in Düsseldorf, Schumann found fresh creative energy in the prospect of a new chapter in his career. Within the space of three months, he completed two large-scale works: his Third Symphony, the ‘Rhenish’, and this Cello Concerto.
The concerto opens with a captivating melody in the solo cello, which unfolds throughout the expressive first movement. A tender, song-like middle movement leads directly into a playful and buoyant finale, ending with a cadenza – unusually accompanied by the orchestra. Because Schumann disliked applause between movements, the three movements are performed without interruption. The three opening chords provide the thematic material for the transitional passages, acting as the musical ‘glue’ linking the movements together. Unusually for its time, the concerto contains relatively few passages designed to showcase the soloist’s virtuosity. Schumann himself explained this by saying: ‘I cannot compose for virtuosi. I must try something different.’
Indeed, Schumann preferred to call the work a Konzertstück, signalling his wish to depart from the conventions of the traditional concerto. Ironically, it was precisely this unconventional approach that attracted criticism, delaying the première until four years after his death. Although the concerto remained neglected for many years, its distinctive romantic character has since secured its place as one of the most frequently performed works in the cello repertoire.
Imagined hero
Between 1888 and 1903, Strauss composed no fewer than five symphonic poems. Among them, Also sprach Zarathustra became the most famous thanks to its unforgettable opening bars. Yet Don Quixote is no less remarkable. Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ celebrated novel, Strauss vividly portrays the flamboyant and ironic adventures of Don Quixote and his faithful companion Sancho Panza through richly evocative orchestral colour and subtle psychological characterisation. In the novel, a nobleman becomes so engrossed in tales of chivalry that he convinces himself he must right the wrongs of the world. Mounted on his faithful steed Rocinante and accompanied by his squire, he sets off in search of heroic adventures that exist largely in his imagination.
Strauss transformed the story into a work lasting around 45 minutes. It begins with an introduction depicting Don Quixote’s gradual descent into madness, followed by ten variations corresponding to ten episodes from the novel, before concluding with an epilogue in which he regains his sanity and ultimately dies. Throughout, Strauss demonstrates an extraordinary gift for shaping musical events, characters and their inner emotional worlds through exceptionally rich and inventive orchestration. Don Quixote is represented by the solo cello, occasionally joined by the violin, while the viola, clarinet and tenor tuba give voice to his loyal companion Sancho Panza. An oboe embodies his imagined beloved, Dulcinea. Among the score’s many striking orchestral effects are the bleating sheep in the second variation, the ensuing argument between Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, and Don Quixote’s flight through the air in the seventh variation – where Strauss adds a wind machine to his already vast orchestral forces. The work concludes with a deeply moving death scene, in which Don Quixote breathes his last in an extended and profoundly expressive solo for the cello.
Strauss first sketched ideas for Don Quixote in October 1896, completing the work just over a year later. During the same period, he also began drafting his other symphonic poem, Ein Heldenleben, and regarded the two works as complementary counterparts, each fully understood only in relation to the other. Whereas the heroism of Don Quixote is entirely fictional, that of Ein Heldenleben is human and earthly. It reflects the individual’s perpetual inner and outer struggle, seeking consolation in love. As Strauss himself remarked: ‘I am no hero. I do not have the strength for it. I am not made for conflict. I much prefer to remain in the background, in a quiet place.’
