At this Tivoli Gardens concert, renowned cellist Andreas Brantelid returns as the soloist for Richard Strauss' tone poem Don Quixote. Celebrated as the country's most distinguished cellist, Brantelid enjoys a global career that takes him from international stages back to Tivoli Gardens.

Richard Strauss' Don Quixote is a piece of program music, narrating the story of the somewhat comical nobleman Don Quixote, a character from Cervantes' famous chivalric novel. This work, akin to a grandiose cello concerto, features Andreas Brantelid in the role of Don Quixote, the idealist who embarks on a quest to fight evil. The music leads us through Don Quixote's escapades alongside his loyal squire Sancho Panza, portrayed by the orchestra's principal violist, Eva Katrine Dalsgaard. Their adventures include battling windmills, musing over the beautiful Dulcinea, who perhaps isn't as beautiful as imagined, mistakenly attacking pilgrims believed to be wizards, among other misadventures, all ending in unexpected ways. The pursuit of good is, indeed, a challenging endeavour.

Though not a concerto in the traditional sense, Richard Strauss' Don Quixote stands as one of the most significant cello concertos in music history, replete with beautiful and creative elements. These include the depiction of everyday experiences in music, such as the sheep's bleating in the brass section and the use of a wind machine to simulate Don Quixote riding a flying horse.

Photo: Andreas Brantelid. Credit: Ida Wang.