Symphony No. 39 in E-flat Major, K. 543: Minuet
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791)
Written while still in his teens, Mozart’s first couple dozen symphonies are brief, charming, pieces, full of interesting details which set them apart from the run-of-the-mill Italian Sinfonias on which they were modeled. Sometimes a darker, probing character appears out of nowhere, as in the stirring, turbulent Symphony in G Minor (No. 25), which looks ahead to the famous 40th Symphony written in the same key. No. 25 and the serene 29th Symphony in A Major are the most popular of the earlier symphonies. An unbroken string of wonderful symphonies, serious in tone, intricate and expansive in structure, vivid in orchestral coloration, begins with No. 33. The truly great Mozart symphonies lead off with No. 38 in D Major, the “Prague” Symphony, composed around the same time as Don Giovanni, and a year later (1788), come the amazing final three symphonies, composed within the space of barely six weeks. These works are remarkably contrasted in key, instrumentation and mood. No. 41, majestic and festive, No. 40 stormy, restless and inward-turning, and the 39th Symphony warm and expansive in keeping with all of Mozart’s music composed in E-flat Major, a key he especially prized. With this work we move from the “quasi-symphony” of Boyce to the real McCoy: four movements, the outer ones fast and brilliant, enclosing a lyrical slow movement and hearty minuet movement. The Minuet shows Mozart in his most endearing popular vein, with a hearty initial minuet section followed by an oompah trio straight out of a tavern, suggestive of the season of the “Heuriger” [Spring wine] so typical of Viennese life.
GPYO concert
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