Mozart's 40th Symphony

July 7, 2015 7:22 PM

Nikolaus Harnoncourt conducts the Chamber Orchestra of Europe in Mozart's 40th Symphony. Second movement. Third movement. Fourth movement. The famous chromatic bit at the start of the development of the fourth movement. Program notes written for a performance of the piece by Redwood Symphony.

Other performances:

Harnoncourt conducts the Concentus Musicus Wien much later.
Second movement.
Third movement.
Fourth movement.

Frans Brüggen conducts the Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century.
Second movement.
Third movement.
Fourth movement.

Leonard Bernstein conducts the Boston Symphony Orchestra.
Second movement.
Third movement.
Fourth movement.

Nicholas Kenyon talks about the piece for NPR's "Must-Have Mozart" series.
NPR: Mozart's Turbulent Final Symphonies.
A visualization of the first movement.

posted by Rustic Etruscan (6 comments total)

I'm gonna go dive into the tracks in a second, but I just wanted to say I am really digging this "classical warhorses" series. Super great.
posted by dorque at 7:46 PM on July 7, 2015 [3 favorites]

I'm also digging it, but unfortunately I haven't had a lot of time to spare for listening. I'd really like to dig in and share thoughts like it was a commentary thread in fanfare.
posted by lownote at 7:47 PM on July 7, 2015 [1 favorite]

Someone called the first movement "Mozart on Horseback" when I was a kid, and that's how I'll always think of it. So simple, and so complex.
posted by How the runs scored at 3:23 AM on July 8, 2015

Great stuff. Nice to see two Harnoncourt versions.

Interesting also the 2010 Brüggen version. I heard one of the first (or the first) performances of this piece by the Orchestra of the 18th C. That must have been 1984 or thereabouts. The concert (at the Utrecht festival) was one of these very rare moments when time stands still--absolutely overwhelming. This version strikes me more like "ok we know how this is gonna sound on old instruments; let's just play." Not bad or anything, just a little more complacent.

I was always hoping for someone to make a Frans Brüggen obit. post; the man was truly special and has been a huge inspiration for me throughout my studies.
posted by Namlit at 6:15 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]

Always preferred the 41st (Jupiter). I still think that the last movement of that symphony was the climax of Mozart's career and incorporated everything that you love in his music: playfulness, drama and purte joy. . Goose bump stuff.
posted by fordiebianco at 7:30 AM on July 8, 2015

This is my favorite Mozart symphony! I first learned to love this symphony in the Böhm/Berlin Philharmonic version (here is a later video of Böhm conducting the Vienna Philharmonic), though my favorite is the Klemperer with the Philharmonia from 1956 (paired at release with the 25th, Mozart's other G minor symphony).

Though I prefer those versions with a 20th century orchestra I do enjoy the HIP recordings so I'm really interested to hear the Harnoncourt and Brüggen performances!


Also of interest may be this Classical Notes entry on Mozart's last three symphonies with an essay and comments on many recorded versions (with some very odd categorization).
posted by mountmccabe at 10:38 AM on July 8, 2015 [1 favorite]