R. STRAUSS Don Juan, Op. 20 | Hans Graf

Описание: Originating from the 17th century, the legend of Don Juan tells of a Spanish libertine nobleman and his numerous seductions, along with his unwillingness to repent. Various writers throughout history have offered their own take on the tale, including Tirso de Molina, Lord Byron, and Lorenzo da Ponte who wrote the libretto for Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Austrian philosopher and poet Nikolaus Lenau put forth a slightly different take on Don Juan, casting him not as a hot-blooded man eternally pursuing women, but as a man who sought to find the one woman, who to him, was a representation of the incarnate womanhood and to enjoy, in her, all the women on earth that he cannot have. As such, he goes from one woman to another trying to find the one, and at last Disgust, which is the devil, takes hold of him.

Strauss was 24 when he first read Lenau’s Don Juan. Inspired, he began to write a tone poem for large orchestral forces that he completed the next year. The music begins with an upward whirlwind as the strings introduce Don Juan’s theme. Several other themes follow – Don Juan’s trysts with women – including one with a tender oboe solo. Just when it seems that there will be a triumphant ending, all the action grinds to a halt, and dissonant interjections from the trumpets followed by three soft chords by the orchestra depict Lenau’s ending: Don Juan, unable to find his ideal woman, allows himself to be killed in a duel.

Singapore Symphony Orchestra
Hans Graf, Music Director

Recorded live at the Esplanade Concert Hall, Singapore, on 28 July 2022.

Photo: Jack Yam

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