Mozart - Symphony No. 39 | Adam Fischer | WDR Symphony Orchestra
Symphony No. 39 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra conducted by Adam Fischer. Recorded live on December 6 and 7, 2024, at the Cologne Philharmonic Hall.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Symphony No. 39 in E-flat major, K. 543
00:00:00 I. Adagio – Allegro
00:10:30 II. Andante Con Moto
00:18:33 III. Menuetto. Allegretto
00:22:27 IV. Finale. Allegro
WDR Symphony Orchestra
Adam Fischer, Conductor
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Program Introduction:
In the early 19th century, the Symphony in E-flat major was known as Mozart's "swan song." It was considered his last great work—despite the G minor and C major symphonies. This is because orchestral works were often published in chamber music arrangements at that time. In a popular edition for piano, flute, violin, and cello by Mozart's pupil Johann Nepomuk Hummel, the Symphony in E-flat major is listed last.
Mozart opens the work with a slow introduction. Musicologist and conductor Peter Gülke—who has proposed the theory of a cycle for the three symphonies—sees this section as the opening to the entire trilogy: solemn, announcing significant events, and harmonically sharpened. The fast main section then surprises with its almost sparkling lightness. The way Mozart combines contemplative tenderness, jubilation, brief moments of melancholy, and drama in such a small space appears all the more masterful because he manages to make the contrasts seem so natural. The ending of this symphony has repeatedly stirred emotions. The Swiss musicologist Hans Georg Nägeli—a contemporary of Beethoven—described it as "so abruptly ending, so snapping off, in the last two bars that the unsuspecting listener doesn't know what's happening." And indeed: What we might perceive today as a refreshing surprise was nothing short of disconcerting for Mozart's contemporaries.
Text: Otto Hagedorn