6. Symphony Concert

Richard Strauss Don Quixote Op. 35
William Walton Symphony No. 1

Reading Miguel de Cervantes’ novel Don Quixote must have made a deep impression on Richard Strauss. He spent six years working on his tone poem about the adventures of the tragicomic knight. The protagonist is represented by the cello, played by principal cellist Zoltan Paulich. At his side is his faithful squire Sancho Panza, portrayed by the viola. The conclusion of this tone poem, in which Don Quixote recognizes his error and bids farewell to the world, is one of the most moving moments. Thirty-five years later, the English composer William Walton wrote his First Symphony, with which GMD Nicholas Carter expands the broad repertoire of the Stuttgart State Orchestra. A pulsating crescendo of the strings opens the first movement, in which a passionate drama unfolds. Amid captivating restlessness and explosive outbursts, there are also lyrical passages in which time seems to stand still. Even while composing the work, Walton separated from Baroness Imma Doernberg, to whom he had dedicated his symphony, and fell in love with Viscountess Alice Wimborne, who was 22 years his senior. Walton himself said of his First Symphony that its inspiration was “the end of one love affair and the beginning of another“.