Mozart's opera, The Marriage of Figaro, a collaboration with poet Lorenzo da Ponte, had achieved considerable success in 1786.
Notable Performances
The G minor Symphony probably formed part of a concert conducted by Salieri, the Court Kapellmeister, with an orchestra of 180 players in April 1791.
Compositional Technique
The Symphony in G minor, K. 550, was originally written without clarinets, which were added in a later revision, and unlike its companions, it makes no use of trumpets and drums.
Composer Biography
Mozart had established himself in Vienna, having secured his dismissal from the Archbishop of Salzburg's service, and was living in precarious independence.
Compositional Technique
The finale of the G minor Symphony remains in a minor key, departing from the usual practice of ending symphonies with optimistic triumph.
Composition History
Mozart wrote his last three symphonies, including the Symphony in G minor, K. 550, within the space of a few weeks in the summer of 1788.
