Four Temperaments
Each movement of Carl Nielsen's Second Symphony expresses one of the four temperaments: choleric, phlegmatic, melancholic and sanguine. These personality traits were once defined by the Greek physician Hippocrates and inspired many works of art, including a woodcut that Carl Nielsen saw hanging in a Danish pub, which inspired this work.
One could describe Don Quixote as a sanguine melancholic. In 1897, Richard Strauss decided to dedicate a symphonic poem to this literary anti-hero created by Cervantes. With the cello as the main character, Richard Strauss ingeniously translated Don Quixote's adventures into music.
The Unanswered Question
Symphony no. 2, op. 16, "The Four Temperaments”
Don Quichotte, op. 35
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Dates
Location
Henry Le Boeuf Hall
Rue Ravenstein 23 1000 BRUSSELS
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