Richard Strauss - Don Quixote (Viktor Simon; Gennady Rozhdestvensky)

Information

Composer: Richard Strauss

• Don Quixote, Op. 35

Viktor Simon, cello

Grand Symphony Orchestra of All-Union National Radio Service and Central Television Networks

Gennady Rozhdestvensky, conductor

Date: 1973 / 2026

Label: Melodiya

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Richard Strauss's Don Quixote, Op. 35 (1897), is a symphonic variation cycle that translates Cervantes’s iconic literary figures into vivid musical portraits. Through ten episodic variations, a descriptive introduction, and a poignant finale, Strauss chronicles the hero's misadventures, ranging from wind-machine-accompanied aerial rides to realistic orchestral sheep bleating. Beyond these eccentric programmatic effects, the work stands as Strauss’s most profoundly lyrical creation. Utilizing a solo cello to embody the idealistic knight and solo viola alongside bass clarinet for the pragmatic Sancho Panza, the score achieves extraordinary psychological depth, culminating in a deeply moving finale depicting the hero's gentle death.

Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1931–2018) was a legendary Russian conductor, pedagogue, and interpreter renowned for his refined stick technique, structural clarity, and vast repertoire. The son of conductor Nikolai Anosov and soprano Natalya Rozhdestvenskaya, he made his early debut at the Bolshoi Theatre at age twenty, later serving as its principal conductor and General Music Director. A pioneering figure, Rozhdestvensky became the first Soviet maestro to hold principal posts with major Western ensembles, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Wiener Symphoniker. With a monumental discography spanning over 780 works, he championed modern Soviet composers, spearheaded key revivals, and led prestigious orchestras and opera houses worldwide.

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