Mozart’s final three symphonies, numbers 39, 40 and 41 respectively, were composed after the summer of 1788 before a début tour by Mozart. Their powerful writing has made them Mozart’s most-performed triptych, but also the one most representative of Viennese classicism, lending a masterful composition – touching on perfection – to the inventiveness of the themes and the splendour of the orchestration. In short, these are Mozart’s most pre-romantic works, while being the culmination of symphony’s classical form. The Olympian emphasis of the “Jupiter” alone forms the bridge between two eras.

To perform these great Viennese works, Marc Minkowski, a man extremely well-versed in Mozart, highlights their composition in the same mould as his most famous operas: an orchestra of soloists, with strong underlying dynamics, a permanent search for colour in the orchestration, and above all the capacity to make the orchestra sing like a choir of divas!

Symphonies nos. 39, 40 and 41 “Jupiter”

First part: 1h

Intermission

Second part: 40 min