Don Quixote

L'harmonia de les formes (The harmony of forms), by Jordi Cervelló, is being performed for the first time since it was recorded in 2006. The work was originally commissioned in 1999 by Jorge Wagensberg for an exhibition at the “la Caixa” Foundation Science Museum entitled “I després de la forma, què?” (“And after form, what?”). If you want to know more, the composer’s own programme notes can be found in the “Downloads” section on this page.
Richard Strauss, for his part, drew on the misadventures of Don Quixote to compose a symphonic poem in the form of variations for cello, viola and orchestra. The character of Don Quixote is represented by the cello, while Sancho Panza is portrayed by the viola (and occasionally the bass clarinet and tuba). Strauss was fascinated by the concept of the hero, and how to embody the hero in music, based on philosophical and literary references, as seen in works such as Thus Spoke Zarathustra, A Hero’s Life and Don Quixote.

PROGRAM