On Mar. 22, 2019, I attended the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra’s performance of Mozart’s three final symphonies at the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts. The orchestra was under the baton of Otto Tausk, the new conductor of the VSO. In his opening remarks, Tausk shared with the audience that Mozart’s Symphonies 39-41 were all conducted over the span of one summer in 1788. He mentioned that, in many ways, the three symphonies acted as the 1st, 2nd, and 3rdmovement of a larger unified composition, thus they should be performed back-to-back in order to appreciate this phenomenon. Most interestingly, Tausk directed the audience’s attention to two instruments situated behind the orchestra: a harpsichord and a fortepiano. During the Classical Era, it was very common for a composer to direct their own work sitting at a keyboard in front of an orchestra and play along. Since it is not known which instrument Mozart played while conducting these symphonies, both were included in the performance. Unfortunately, Tausk himself admitted his inability to play the instruments, and thus a separate musician was behind each keyboard. Remarkably, the keyboardist improvised the whole performance, building off many of the bass notes and chords, as this keyboard role is not written into the score. She did such a fantastic job that Tausk actually gave her the bouquet of flowers he received at the end of the performance!
The concert began with Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, a four movement piece. The movement opens with a slow fanfare, as if to indicate the grand beginnings of a unified musical masterpiece spanning his three symphonies. Interestingly, the begin is quite slow, and a fast theme is not heard until later until the exposition, signifying the beginning of sonata form. A Wikipedia search also revealed sonata form is used in 3 out of the 4 movements in this symphony! As expected, the second movement was of slower tempo, while the third appears to be in triple meter, forming a minuet and trio. The piece closes with another fast section written in sonata form, composed of rapid scales played by the strings and light carefree melodies from the woodwinds.
Next was the famous Symphony No. 40 in G minor, which we studied in class. It was a treat to listen to a piece we discussed at length be performed by a live orchestra! Unlike No. 39, and 41, No. 40 is the only symphony written in a minor mode. If the 3 symphonies are to act as one unified piece, it is as if Mozart intended to begin in a major key, flip to a minor key, and resolve this tension by ending once again on a major key. The iconic first movement began with the breathless melody we know so well that captures the essence of Sturm und Drang. Like No. 39, No. 40 also has its first movement written in sonata form. Again, movement 2 is expectedly slow, movement 3 a minuet and trio, and movement 4 a fast tempo. I particular enjoyed movement 4, which included fast-paced, “breathless” melodies similar to what we heard in the first movement.
Finally came Symphony No. 41 in C major, also known as the Jupiter Symphony. While it parallels the first three symphonies in movement structure, something about the melodies and instrumentation made it seem “grander” than the previous two. The first movement opens with a vibrant, dramatic melody played by the stringers and bolstered by bass and timpani. However, the final movement of the Jupiter was definitely the highlight. Here, we can hear numerous themes played together in what almost sounds like polyphony. We can also hear what sounds like a fugue, with multiple entries of an exposition. The end of the 4thmovement is by far the most grandiose of the 3 pieces, a fitting close to note only the concert, but also to the last symphony ever written by Mozart. (3/5)