Don Juan - Richard Strauss

German composer Richard Strauss composed 'Don Juan', Op. 20, in 1888. The work is based on 'Don Juans Ende', a play derived from an unfinished 1844 retelling of the tale by poet Nikolaus Lenau after the 'Don Juan' legend which originated in Renaissance-era Spain. With 'Don Juan', Strauss created a new musical genre: the tone poem. 'Don Juan' opens with one of the most dramatic flourishes in musical history as our hero bounds on stage, a dashing Romantic hero, devoting his life to the pursuit of the ideal woman. After each relationship fails to satisfy him, his theme returns, taking him back into the chase. And each of these women has a distinct character portrayed through the music. 'Don Juan' belongs with 'Till Eulenspiegel' to Richard Strauss' most successful orchestral pieces and is now transcribed for Symphonic Band by Swiss arranger Simon Scheiwiller.