Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" | Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra & Giovanni Antonini
Mozart: Symphony No. 38 "Prague" | Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra & Giovanni Antonini
莫札特：38號交響曲「布拉格」 | 皇家音樂廳管弦樂團 & 喬凡尼‧安東尼尼
711 views Aug 16, 2026
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For Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the premiere of his "Prague" Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504, on January 19, 1787, in Prague was one of the happiest days of his life. Here, this beloved Mozart symphony is performed by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra conducted by Giovanni Antonini. The Italian conductor is known for his historically informed approach to performance, preceded by intensive study of manuscripts and other historical documents. This concert took place at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in 2013.
(00:00) I. Adagio – Allegro
(17:50) II. Andante
(28:00) III. Finale: Presto
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s (1756–1791) Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 could be described as a symphony written in the musical language of grand opera. Whether or not one agrees, this work, popularly known as the "Prague" Symphony, is truly exceptional. It stands out within Mozart’s symphonic output and marks the beginning of his late period. With this symphony, Mozart expanded his own compositional horizons.
The most striking innovation of Symphony No. 38 is its three-movement structure instead of the usual four. The minuet, traditionally placed as the third movement, is absent, which is why the work is sometimes referred to as "the Symphony in D major without Minuet." There has been much speculation about the reason for its three-movement structure. But perhaps it had something to do with music scene in Prague at the time — and with the fact that Mozart’s opera "Le nozze di Figaro" ("The Marriage of Figaro"), which premiered in Vienna in May 1786, received little attention there but caused a sensation in Prague. In early 1787, Mozart traveled to Prague to enjoy the acclaim. He brought the Symphony in D major with him, and its premiere in the Bohemian capital was met with equal enthusiasm. The three-movement structure, in particular, may have appealed to Prague audiences. While four-movement symphonies had become customary in Vienna, Prague still adhered to the older three-movement form. It is therefore possible that, when conceiving the D major Symphony, Mozart simply followed the musical conventions that existed in Prague at the time.
More significant from the perspective of symphonic history, however, is the dramatic musical language of the second innovation of this symphony, which brings it closer to the operatic world. Indeed, the Austrian composer infused the 38th Symphony with the cheerful and buoyant atmosphere of his opera "Le nozze di Figaro." At the same time, the symphony offers a glimpse of the sometimes-ambivalent mood of the opera that followed it, "Don Giovanni (K. 527)."
Mozart makes a striking statement right from the slow introduction of the first movement. It is the longest symphonic introduction he ever wrote, and it is characterized by an unmistakably operatic sense of drama. What follows is not an opera, of course, but an Allegro that is far removed from the forms commonly used in Mozart’s day and could instead be described as a homage to counterpoint. Six different melodies form a dense polyphonic texture. Taking all the written-out repeats into account, the movement as a whole is the longest symphonic movement of the 18th century.
The second movement has an intriguing ambiguity. On the one hand, it is a lyrical Andante; on the other, it is written in a dance-like triple meter. Some scholars believe that Mozart may have incorporated the missing minuet into this movement.
The finale is a fast-paced Presto whose opening theme bears a resemblance to the duet "Aprite, presto, aprite!" (Susanna and Cherubino) from Act II of Mozart’s opera "The Marriage of Figaro." It seems that even a genius like Mozart was not above reusing melodies he had already discovered.
Text: Rita Kass
Film Provided by DW Classical Music