Beyond just literary characters, Don Quixote has inspired numerous musicals, operas, ballets, and more. The first ballet based on the book was performed in France in 1614 (Bakhtiarova, 63). Since then, music, musicals and operas based on Don Quixote have been written by some of the most noted and notable of our time:
Composers who have tackled Quixote include Purcell, Remeau, Telemann, Martini, Salieri, Mendelssohn, Minkus, Falla, Strauss, Frazzi, and Sotelo (abbreviated from Bakhtiarova, 63).
Older Operas & Musicals include Le chevalier de la longue figure (1910) Don Quichotte (1910), El retablo del Maese Pedro (1923), The Man of LaMancha (1965 - Theater; 1972 - Television).
More recently, in 2000, two new operas were staged based on Don Quixote. Galina Bakhtiarova goes into the details of both in her article "Beyond Myth: Two Adaptations of Don Quijote for a New Millennium." Both operas, she said, deal with Don Quixote as a myth and legend that has superseded his own literary beginnings. She says, "Don Quijote by Halffter and DQ Don Quijote en Barcelona were united by a common preoccupation with the mythological status of Cervante's protagonist and a shared anxiety associated with the loss of cultural values, such as literature and books,in the era of technology at the advent of the new millennium" (65).
Musical acts from all styles of music have been inspired by Quixote and Cervantes, including Gordon Lightfoot, Toad the Wet Sproket, La Leyenda de la Mancha, Funky Aztecs, Coldplay and Elaine Elias (via Wikipedia).
Composers who have tackled Quixote include Purcell, Remeau, Telemann, Martini, Salieri, Mendelssohn, Minkus, Falla, Strauss, Frazzi, and Sotelo (abbreviated from Bakhtiarova, 63).
Older Operas & Musicals include Le chevalier de la longue figure (1910) Don Quichotte (1910), El retablo del Maese Pedro (1923), The Man of LaMancha (1965 - Theater; 1972 - Television).
More recently, in 2000, two new operas were staged based on Don Quixote. Galina Bakhtiarova goes into the details of both in her article "Beyond Myth: Two Adaptations of Don Quijote for a New Millennium." Both operas, she said, deal with Don Quixote as a myth and legend that has superseded his own literary beginnings. She says, "Don Quijote by Halffter and DQ Don Quijote en Barcelona were united by a common preoccupation with the mythological status of Cervante's protagonist and a shared anxiety associated with the loss of cultural values, such as literature and books,in the era of technology at the advent of the new millennium" (65).
Musical acts from all styles of music have been inspired by Quixote and Cervantes, including Gordon Lightfoot, Toad the Wet Sproket, La Leyenda de la Mancha, Funky Aztecs, Coldplay and Elaine Elias (via Wikipedia).