Theme: Don Quixote, the Knight of the Sorrowful Countenance
DQ being a set of variations on a theme(s), we next hear Don Quixote's theme. The solo cello marks out a strident march-like theme and then settles into a romantic evocation of his 'sorrowful countenance'.
Sancho Panza
Next, Strauss paints a picture of Sancho Panza - a more rambuctuous theme which utilises solo tuba alongside the solo viola. This is a quirky theme which has enough variance from Don Quixote's own theme to work.
Variation I: The Adventure with the Windmills
The themes are used here in the first variation, one which advances the 'plot' of the piece. Don, upon seeing a field of windmills he perceives as giants, prepares for battle. A battle which will inevitably prove fruitless as the first windmill he attacks destroys his lance and sends him tumbling from his steed. Interlaced with this narrative is a theme for Don's unrequited love, Dulcinea, for full romantic strings. After listening closely to this variation I can hear what Strauss was attempting more - the skirmish is represented clearly withthe DQ theme is used cleverly, and the doleful solo cello encapsulates the Don's failure whilst also rising at the end into gallant hope, ready for the next variation....
