Mozart Symphony No. 38, "Prague"

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast

Joshua Weilerstein

Clarinet, Timpani, Performing, Trombone, Cello, Trumpet, Bassoon, Classicalmusic, Performing Arts, Arts, Violin, Flute, Piano, Conductor, Music, Weilerstein

4.9 • 2.1K Ratings

🗓️ 27 July 2023

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello and welcome to Sticky Notes, the classical music podcast.
0:11.3	My name is Joshua Weylerstein, I'm a conductor, and I'm the music director of the Phoenix
0:14.8	Orchestra of Boston and the chief conductor designate of the Alborg Symphony.
0:19.0	This podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field, or is just getting
0:22.8	ready to dive in to this amazing world of incredible music.
0:26.4	Before we get started, I want to thank my new Patreon sponsors,
0:29.4	Lay, Lung, Giselle, Mark, Daniel, Subongil, Kevin, Timothy, Dave, Matthew, Dubrovka,
0:38.5	Leslie, and all of my other Patreon sponsors for making season 9 possible.
0:44.0	If you'd like to support the show, please head over to patreon.com slash Sticky Notes podcast.
0:48.8	And if you are a fan of the show, please take a moment to give us a rating or review on Apple
0:52.8	Podcasts. It is greatly appreciated.
0:57.7	So I had a bit of a surprise last week. I was called at the very, very last minute to jump
1:03.0	in for my friend, Alexandre Bloch, with the orchestra nasi nanda liel. They were playing a concert
1:07.9	in the concert cabal in Amsterdam, with Chekowski's fifth symphony and the divorce act cello concerto
1:13.6	with Agastinelle. Luckily, those are two pieces I know really well and was able to get them already
1:19.1	on about 24 hours notice. I was such a thrill working with this wonderful orchestra in my favorite
1:24.6	hall in the world. I also want to mention again the Patreon exclusive live video episode on
1:32.0	Mozart's Requiem, which will be taking place August 20th. All you need to do is sign up on patreon.com,
1:39.6	slash Sticky Notes podcast at any level, any tier, and you will be able to watch that show live on
1:46.4	August 20th. They will also be, of course, I will put that up as a replay on YouTube after
1:50.9	if you can't make the actual time of the show. It's a really nice opportunity to interact with
1:55.6	everybody. I'll be able to answer questions in real time. I'll show you some video clips and what
	...

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