DESCRIPTION:
≈ History ≈
~ adapted from articles available in
the Grove Dictionary, All Music Guide & Rovi ~
Mozart's large corpus of symphonic works is revealing from a biographical point of view. Firstly, the greater part of his opuses in the form - from 30 to 60 pieces in different catalogues - are youthful works, written at a period dominated by the several European tours that occupied the composer's formative years (roughly 1761-1780). Secondly, a childhood which had brought great success to Mozart as an infant prodigy was followed by a somewhat tumultuous adulthood, spent in constant search for economic stability. Thus, the few symphonies he actually wrote during the 1780s - only 6 works - seem to have been of lesser importance to Mozart than his efforts in chamber and operatic music - the surest opportunities to broad international recognition and critical success in a time when the symphony was still a relatively new form, more academic than popular. Mozart's approach to the form was seemingly of more practical interest: the final three Great Symphonies were written in Vienna during the summer of 1788 when he found himself in financial difficulty and correspondence from the period reveals his preoccupation with obtaining concrete rewards from the project.

≈ Authenticity ≈
The number of symphonies Mozart actually wrote is quite difficult to properly evaluate, primarily due to the lax practices of the 18th century. Even in the sequence of 41 formally numbered works we find pieces by others composers (No. 2, 3 & 37**). Moreover, there are about 20 unnumbered symphonies which have been identified as Mozart's. Finally, the origins of a large selection of works (about 39 pieces) remain dubious. This leaves us with a number of unresolved issues even without considering the music's quality...
** Actually Michael Haydn's No. 25.

≈ Music ≈
Mozart's earliest symphonic works - mostly built around a tripartite structure - are of interest simply by virtue of the fact that they were written by someone able to compose at the age of 9 such small delights as a charming, if comparatively unremarkable Andante (9:46). This roughly translates to the notion that when approaching Mozart's symphonies chronologically one should not immediately expect to hear something more than lovely ideas in unassuming orchestration. These pieces of comparative juvenilia allow us to appreciate so much more the gradual growth of the composer, yet the operative word is still "gradual" as the suggestion that there is a certain line which divides the "early" and "late" symphonies (this honor is usually bestowed on the No. 25, the "Little G minor") is idealistic. Structurally speaking, from 1768 Mozart begins to work with the common four-movement pattern, though reverting at times to the tripartite structure, as late as the "Prague" (1786). In all honesty, not all the music is of the same standard, and workmanship, rather than inspiration, is often discernible. And yet numerous treasures of great value can be found ever so frequently among the pieces: the energetic opening Allegro of No. 9 which features irresistible violin triplet figurations before the coda (0:52); the gratifying doubling of oboe/first violins in the "Old Lambach" (3:59); the elegant string figurations in the Andante of No. 16 (4:16); the dizzying parabolic figures in the violins, excellent dynamic lighting and bright colorful wind phrases of the finale in No. 34 (5:01); the gentle rustic dance with brief modulations in No. 27 (12:26); the supposed traditional bird call suddenly transforming into an impassioned violin cantabile in the "Haffner" (15:03). Finally, there are the so called Late Symphonies - No. 38-41 - which are notable for their expansiveness, well-judged balance of orchestral forces and heightened grandeur. These feature exceptional movements: the continuous brilliance of the interplay between the winds/strings achieved in the opening Allegro of the "Prague" (8:03) and the perfectly balanced Andante which succeeds it - the greatest slow movement in Mozart's symphonic works (17:31); the spirited Allegro of No. 39 which bombards the listener with crescendo effects, instrumental echoes and a great sense of general merriment (16:00); the instantly memorable main theme of the familiar No. 40 (10:39); and, finally, the great contractual passages of "Jupiter" with its ingenious fugato rendition of the main motives from the symphony before the final coda (18:55).

≈ Additional material ≈
All information about the symphonies,
as well as links to the scores at the
Neue Mozart-Ausgabe and IMSLP,
can be found on Wikipedia ~
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_symphonies_by_Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart

≈ Recording ≈
The 1993-1995 Archiv Produktion Box Set of 48 symphonies is a most elegant account by the English Concert under Trevor Pinnock.

Hope you'll enjoy =).