Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41 "Jupiter"

The innovative Hamburg-based chamber orchestra Ensemble Resonanz continue their exploration of the Classical repertoire – which previously produced albums of C.P.E. Bach and Haydn – with a recording of Mozart's legendary three final symphonies. Riccardo Minasi conducts the group in the Symphonies No. 39, 40 and 41 "Jupiter".

Featuring

Riccardo Minasi
Ensemble Resonanz
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

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Composer's Artistic Vision

The finale of Symphony No. 41 'Jupiter' showcases Mozart's mastery of counterpoint on a symphonic scale, using its two most prominent themes as the subject and countersubject of a fugue.

Composer's Artistic Vision

The first theme of Symphony No. 41 'Jupiter' uses a four-note motif (C-D-F-E) that Mozart had previously used in sacred works and earlier symphonies, creating a significant intertextual link.

Composition History

Mozart composed his last three symphonies—Symphony No. 39, No. 40, and No. 41 'Jupiter'—in a very brief period during the summer of 1788.

Composer Biography

Mozart composed these symphonies while grieving the loss of his baby daughter Theresia and facing severe financial distress.

Historical Context

Austria was experiencing a terrible economic crisis in 1788 due to its entry into a war against the Ottoman Empire, leading to inflation, famine, and epidemics that relegated artistic life to the background.

Compositional Technique

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, a work of great distress, was later softened by Mozart with the addition of clarinets to mitigate the acid timbre of the oboes.