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A symphony hourney from rome to la mancha

Dreams of the hero

Symphony Concert
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Richard Strauss had a deep admiration for Don Quixote—a man who hurls himself into every challenge, obstacle, and peril, without ever achieving a final victory. It’s this ‘knightly character’ that Strauss celebrates in his Fantastic Variations from 1897. Concertmaster Christina Brabetz then unleashes a breathtaking solo with Maurice Ravel’s Tzigane (1924), one of the most virtuosic works for violin in the musical repertoire. Meanwhile, Ottorino Respighi’s Pini di Roma (1924) offers a sonic tour through the Eternal City, from the Villa Borghese to the Via Appia, always in view of the city’s towering marvels: its pine trees, which weave an evergreen thread through the ancient metropolis. James Gaffigan brings together three fantastic concert works contrasting highly diverse styles, with Strauss crossing the boundaries into modernity and Respighi already channelling in 1924 the future mode of film music. An exhilarating evening awaits!
RICHARD STRAUSS [1864–1949]
Don Quixote: Fantastic Variations on a Theme of Knightly Character for Large Orchestra, Op. 35

MAURICE RAVEL [1875–1937]
Tzigane: Concert Rhapsody for Violin and Orchestra

OTTORINO RESPIGHI [1879–1936]
Pines of Rome: Symphonic Poem in Four Movements
45 min before performance, in the Beethoven-Saal

Next dates and cast

Konzerthaus Berlin – Großer Saal
Gendarmenmarkt 2
10117 Berlin
Wed
26. Nov 2025
20:00
Symphony Concert