Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart created his final three symphonies in the summer of 1788. It is noteworthy that he wrote them with no external commission, and it is not known if Mozart even managed to hear his works performed, works that are today acclaimed “hits”. The opening of the first movement of Symphony No 40 in G Minor, well known through all possibly popular music interpretations and mobile phone ring tones, has long become one of Mozart’s well established and easily recognisable calling cards. Like other instrumental works he wrote, Symphony No 40 is closely associated with theatre aesthetics. The themes of the symphony are like a love for characters that have been sketched out, living, loving and suffering, and each of the four movements is like an act in an operatic production. The themes of Fate, like the inherently evil image of the Stone Guest, are touched upon in each movement, introducing a note of confusion and anxiety. The half hour long symphony reflects all human life, with its highs and lows, wisdom gained and naivety, strength of spirit and weakness, faith and doubt.