Mozart Symphony No. 38, "Prague"

Very few cities have had a relationship with a single person,
especially a foreigner, like the city of Prague and its love
affair with Mozart. Here’s what Lorenzo Da Ponte, Mozart’s
librettist for some of his greatest operas, said about it: "It is
not easy to convey an adequate conception of the enthusiasm of
the Bohemians for [Mozart's] music. The pieces which were admired
least of all in other countries were regarded by those people as
things divine; and, more wonderful still, the great beauties
which other nations discovered in the music of that rare genius
only after many, many performances, were perfectly appreciated by
the Bohemians on the very first evening.” Mozart had been losing
his popularity rapidly in Vienna, and so his trips to Prague were
a boon to his self-esteem. He wrote in a letter, speaking of
Prague’s euphoric reaction to his opera the Marriage of Figaro:
"here they talk about nothing but Figaro. Nothing is played,
sung, or whistled but Figaro. No opera is drawing like Figaro.
Nothing, nothing but Figaro. Certainly a great honor for me!"


Now whether or not Mozart actually wrote this 38th symphony FOR
the city of Prague or not is disputed. It seems as if he finished
the symphony before he was invited to come to Prague for the
first time. All we know for sure is that the first performance of
the piece was definitely in Prague, and it included a couple of
details that point to Mozart writing it specifically with both
the audience and the musicians of Prague in mind. But the most
important thing about this symphony is that it marks the
beginning of a late period in Mozart’s symphonies that sees him
pushing at the bounds of symphonic form in a nearly
Beethoven-like way. There is no symphony where that is more true
than the one we’re going to talk about today, the 38th symphony.
The sheer amount of invention alone in the first movement is
enough to hold our attention for weeks, but we’ll talk about the
whole symphony today, from its formal innovations, to its warmth
and joy, and to the little clues that make us think that this
symphony was a stunning and perhaps unprecedented gift from
Mozart to the city that adored him so much. Join us!