Jul 27, 2023
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!