Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41

Featuring

Sir Simon Rattle
Berliner Philharmoniker
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Compositional Technique

The 'Jupiter' Symphony, K 551, includes Mozart's longest opera quotation in his instrumental music, from the bass Arietta K 541.

Historical Context

Mozart's financial struggles in 1788 were partly due to his musical style diverging from public taste and the ongoing Austro-Turkish War, which caused social life in Vienna to decline.

Composition History

The exact dates of the first performances for Symphonies No. 39, 40, and 41 have not been established.

Composer Biography

During the six weeks Mozart composed these symphonies, he was experiencing financial difficulties, moving to a smaller apartment, and his six-month-old daughter Theresia died.

Composition History

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his last three symphonies, including these, within a period of only six weeks in the summer of 1788.

Critical Reception

The C major Symphony, K 551, known as the 'Jupiter' Symphony, was praised in an 1810 London score edition as 'the highest triumph of Instrumental Composition'.