Symphony No. 40 by Mozart reviewed by Nicholas Kenyon 24th November 2024

Mozart's G minor Symphony is one of his most powerful and popular works. He worked on the symphony in 1788 when during a period of just a few weeks he also finished the mighty 39th and 41st symphonies. The work has taken people in very different ways. The composer, Robert Schumann, for instance thought it possessed "Grecian lightness and grace", others have seen it as a work of passion, violence, and grief, and some people are struck by the the witty, conversational style also found in Mozart's great operas.
Recommended version:
NDR Radiophilharmonie
Andrew Manze
Pentatone PTC5186757