The Symphony No. 39 is the first of a set of three (his last symphonies) that Mozart composed in rapid succession during the summer of 1788. No. 40 was completed 25 July and No. 41 on 10 August.[1] Nikolaus Harnoncourt argues that Mozart composed the three symphonies as a unified work, pointing, among other things, to the fact that the Symphony No. 39 has a grand introduction (in the manner of an overture) but no coda.[2]
Around the time that he composed the three symphonies, Mozart was writing his piano trios in E and C major, his sonate facile, and a violin sonatina. Mozart biographer Alfred Einstein has suggested that Mozart took Michael Haydn's Symphony No. 26, in the same key, as a model.[3]
It seems to be impossible to determine the date of the premiere of the 39th Symphony on the basis of currently available evidence; in fact, it cannot be established whether the symphony was ever performed in the composer's lifetime. According to Deutsch (1965), around the time Mozart wrote the work, he was preparing to hold a series of "Concerts in the Casino", in a new casino in the Spiegelgasse owned by Philipp Otto. Mozart even sent a pair of tickets for this series to his friend Michael von Puchberg. But it seems impossible to determine whether the concert series was held, or was cancelled for lack of interest.[1] In addition, in the period up to the end of his life, Mozart participated in various other concerts the programs of which included an unidentified symphony; these also could have been the occasion of the premiere of the 39th (for details, see Symphony No. 40 (Mozart)).
In modern times, the work is part of the core symphonic repertoire and is frequently performed and recorded.
Can you hear the B-17s overhead in the recording?
Beautiful
I have Furtwangler conducting Beethoven: Symphony #9 in March 1942 in Berlin.
It’s based on Magnetophon tapes made by the German Radio System which were overloaded and distorted. Some of the distortion remains and you can hear people in the audience coughing.
Hitler was in attendance.
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I got a furtwangle once, but fortunately it didn’t require surgery.
Furty was a great conductor but a fool for not getting out of Nazi Germany. He could have had a great career anywhere.
I enjoy the BPO’s Digital Concert Hall. Don’t catch many of the live streams because of the time differential, butt hey have a nice archive.
https://www.digitalconcerthall.com/en/home
Keep an eye open, they usually give away free week-long passes during the summer.