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Symphony No. 40 in G minor K550
Background
Mozart experienced the astonishing success of a prodigy, followed by
the typical fall of musical comets. The Viennese, who were always looking
for something new, exhausted the novelty of Mozart and moved on to new
stars. Mozart himself became ill and frustrated, and his financial situation
was poor, yet at the same time his wonderful creativeness was left uninterrupted.
Within two months, in 1788, in a time of disappointment and dissatisfaction,
Mozart wrote his last three symphonies - and in fact the best of them.
They did not express his personal feeling at the time - they are optimistic,
powerful and even romantic (especially Symphony no. 39). The 40th symphony
is an evident manifestation of Mozart superb quality - detachment from
daily life in his artistic creation, and the constant search inside his
soul and inner world.
 The
works were not ordered by anyone, and their writing was derived of nothing
except Mozart's own inner need. It seems the Symphony no. 40 was performed
in his own time, for he changed its orchestration, after a while (he added
two clarinets and changed the oboes' parts so they would suit the enlarged
woodwind section). Today, the original version is played in concerts. If
the "revised" piece was ever performed, it must have been in
two concerts dedicated to the widows of musicians held eight months before
Mozart's death. It seems that it was Symphony no. 40 that opened the concert.
About the work
The symphony includes four movements, as customary:
1st movement (allegro molto) - without an introduction,
comes the first, hurting theme - in the violins. The second, opposite theme
is in major and played in strings and woodwinds, alternately, but also
bitter and transmits pain.
2nd movement (andante) - written in another key
(E flat major), and in 6/8 meter, it is elegant and perfectly built. In
this movement sadness remains, though the atmosphere clears up a little.
3rd movement (allegretto) - Mozart gave it the
title "minuet", but this is not a dance movement as is customary,
but a powerful, syncopated episode, full of dissonances, and in its center
an optimistic, relaxing trio sub-movement in a G major key with a delicate
solo of the French horns.
4th movement (Allegro assai) - this tempestuous
movement is dominated by the first theme, a defiant subject that emerges
victorious when the movement closes the piece in great sadness, but also
spirituality.
The ensemble In the earlier version, the symphony was
written for a flute, two oboes, two bassoons, two French horns and strings.
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