# SS6 17.08.13 - Mozart #40



## Bix (Aug 12, 2010)

http://www.talkclassical.com/26593-saturday-symphonies.html

*Mozart (1756 - 1791)*

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV. 550, in 1788

Molto allegro, 2/2
Andante in E-flat major, 6/8
Menuetto. Allegretto - Trio, 3/4
Finale. Allegro assai, 2/2


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## Bix (Aug 12, 2010)

I'm going for Haitink and The Royal Concertgebouw again.


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

I'll reach for my set with Mackerras leading the Prague Chamber Orchestra.


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

I'm going to listen to Leonard Bernstein's recording with The New York Philharmonic from 1963.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

I'll go for Furtwängler/VPO, with the hilariously fast first movement.


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

All I have to do is flick my record over from last week's Jupiter to listen to side one, No. 40 by the Sinfonia of London, Anthony Collins.


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## Cheyenne (Aug 6, 2012)

I'm rather sad it's over already, because of how fast the performances is, coupled with the lack of repeats. It truly is a great performance, if only because of how different it is -- passionate is the word!


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Listening to any of Mozart's late symphonies is always a great experience.

The recording by Mackerras and the Prague Chamber Symphony has a bit of a muddy sound, but all of the parts are still clearly audible, even the harpsichord buried deep in the continuo section. All of the repeats are observed, and this helps bring out the symphony's form tremendously.

One thing that stood out to me in particular this time through was the second movement, which has a balletic, fleet-footed feel, but under that relatively placid surface there are always darker undercurrents threatening to destabilize the steps of the imagined dancers. A brilliant balancing act from the always agile Mozart.


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## Mika (Jul 24, 2009)

Marriner and Academy of St. Martin In The Fields


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## Wood (Feb 21, 2013)

Of all the pieces of music that can send someone to sleep, a late Mozart symphony would probably be the last to come to mind. I thoroughly enjoyed the exuberance of the London Sinfonia's playing of the so familiar first movement, and can recall the start of the andante which sounded uncharacteristically heavy. 

It then becomes a blur, until I woke up to the last few bars of the finale. Strangely, it is the main theme of the minuet which is currently going through my head. 

It would appear that Mozart can even reach one's subconscious.


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## Guest (Aug 17, 2013)

Oh yeah it's Saturday isn't it. Such a weird week, I lost track.


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## ProudSquire (Nov 30, 2011)

I'll go with The Chamber Orchestra of Europe led by Nicolaus Harnoncourt. Might go for Solti later tonight.


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

I love this Symphony. Still one of my all-time favorites. It's so melodic. All four movements are wonderful and for me about as perfect as you can get.

As far as the recording. I love Lenny's energy in this early recording. His later Vienna recordings are fine and in better sound but I still love his sense of energy and wonder in his earlier recordings with the New York Philharmonic. There are other conductors who come to mind when you think about Mozart, and Lenny probably isn't one, but I still feel he was a fine interpreter of Mozart.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

A performance on YouTube from 1957, Szell conducting the BPO. 

I've actually never heard the first movement taken at such a slow tempo! It's more like andante con moto! 

I find that with this slow recording the contrapuntal sections become more muddy, not as clear as other recordings I have heard. I haven't heard many recordings, but the ones I have heard are quite fast and precise and very clear. I do like the amount of expression and variety in dynamics and articulation in this recording though. 

Listening to this symphony today is interesting for me, I've never liked it nearly as much as his other two minor key symphonies and probably my lest favourite of his late symphonies. The second movement is tough competition for the second movement of no. 41 though! The use of dissonance and modulation to not closely related keys in this symphony helped pave the way to music of the 19th century.


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## realdealblues (Mar 3, 2010)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> A performance on YouTube from 1957, Szell conducting the BPO.
> 
> I've actually never heard the first movement taken at such a slow tempo! It's more like andante con moto!


You should check out Ferenc Fricsay it's even slower...slowest I think I've ever heard.

I couldn't find a clip on youtube. I have this CD set, you can listen to small clip of it on Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/Mozart-Sympho...qid=1376793816&sr=1-2&keywords=fricsay+mozart


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## Vesteralen (Jul 14, 2011)

Didn't intend to get in on this, but I decided at the last minute to put on the headphones last night before going to sleep and listen to the Nimbus recording of Roy Goodman and the Hanover Band.

I remember in the first year of my listening to classical music (1971) that I happened to turn on the local Public Broadcasting station during the day once and they were airing some kind of artistic light show to the music of Mozart's 40th. I was so new to classical music that I couldn't even guess who the composer was. I even thought it might be Brahms (I kid you not). 

Anyway, even to this day, I can not listen to the 40th without seeing the light show in my head.

HIP performances like the one I listened to last night are fascinating, but they don't do as much for this one, IMO, as they do for the 41st. The modern orchestra, with it's lusher sounding strings, actually can add a bit to this piece.

That much being said, the performance I heard was solid, if a bit demure.


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