Some composers are, quite simply, too famous. The audience knows beforehand what will be heard and as a result, stop listening. Richard Strauss is one such composer. Strauss is popular because his music is both funny and melodic as well as being sensationally instrumented. In contrast to his average middle-class background, he had such an unbelievably bizarre fantasy towards his compositions that when listening to his music, it is easy to fall under his rapturous spell, a spell not easily broken. And then of course there’s his abundance of ideas! The basic structure of this evening’s performance is simple – cellist Gautier Capuçon portrays the poor Don Quixote, Annemarie Moorcroft brings Sancho Panza to life on the viola, and Kent Nagano directs this artistic spectacular. We are ready to be enchanted!

Kent Nagano Conductor
German Symphony Orchestra Berlin
Gautier Capuçon Violoncello
Annemarie Moorcroft Viola

Richard Strauss
Don Quixote, Op. 35 Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68