Mozart’s final two symphonies continue to be very popular with audiences. From the famous G-minor opening movement of the 40th symphony that cuts straight to the chase to the unprecedented complexity of the 41st symphony’s majestic finale, Mozart displays his vivid melodic invention as well as the maturity of his musical soul.
Even if his untimely death came unexpectedly, these two symphonies fill the listener with a sense of culmination, and may be seen as a sublime conclusion of both Mozart’s musical development and of the eighteenth-century symphony in general.
These extraordinary works are performed on this recording by the NDR Radiophilharmonie conducted by Andrew Manze, and will be followed by a recording of Mozart’s 38th and 39th symphonies.
Here is the Mozart Symphony #40, conducted by Leonard Bernstein:
