Mozart symphonies - who is going to play them in the future ?

[Boilk]

I am afraid I couldn’t agree with you less. The quote highlights nothing of the kind. What it does show is that there is good music written by "lesser" composers, if only people will look for it.

I think the quote serves to show how a piece fell from grace when it no longer had the stamp of "Mozart" on it. It might similarly be interesting to learn the recent history of the Toy Symphony when it was more or less confirmed not to be by Haydn.

Of course not all Mozart’s 600 works are masterpieces; but if many/most of the supreme masterpieces were from the last five years of his life, so what? Does that diminish their quality or his status? In my view, not.

No, in fact those late works greatly enhanced his posthumous reputation for sure - and great works are great no matter what a composer wrote before (or after).

"and a lot of what he rapidly churned out was simply to put bread on the table". "Churned out" is rather a perjorative term. Were the piano concertos "churned out"? Or the operas?

That's precisely why I wrote "a lot" rather than "everything else". Of course, that won't necesarily prevent people from reading what they want to.

If he had died at 20, he would be even less highly rated. So would most composers. Thankfully Mozart didn’t die at 30, and thankfully we have the works that he wrote in his thirties.

It seems we are in agreement on that.

[Flosshilde]

Slightly off-topic, but I thought this letter in Saturday's Guardian would be of interest - http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012...art-by-numbers (perhaps the author is a board member?). Rather a sweeping statement (or, rather, several sweeping statements). Actually, I'd go as far as to say that they are pure nonsense -

"We know that after a couple of symphonies composers start to get the hang of it and by number nine or so, with a bit of luck, might become great";

and

"without Mozart's colossal quantity of symphonic music, ... there is no classical canon."

[Barbirollians]

I think that the reference to the ninth symphonies is a joke.

[Boilk]

Rather a sweeping statement (or, rather, several sweeping statements). Actually, I'd go as far as to say that they are pure nonsense -

"We know that after a couple of symphonies composers start to get the hang of it and by number nine or so, with a bit of luck, might become great";

Indeed, that's why Sibelius burned his Eighth, realising he'd then be on
his Ninth, and would have to come up with a truly great symphony

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Mozart's 9th Symphony is my favourite of his early works with a beautiful flute duet for the slow movement.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I do welcome less Mozart in our concert halls, because it will not diminish his wider stature one bit, whilst also making room for more lesser-known composers and hopefully more contemporary music.

Don't hold your breath waiting, Boilk: the works "replacing" Mozart on the programmes of the Symphonies orchestras isn't CPE Bach, or Pleyel, or John Marsh. Nor is it Carter, Sciarrino, Lachenmann or Saariaho. Or Madetoja, Gade, Sterndale Bennett or Djargomyzhki. Alongside whole universes of Planets, Carminas Burani, Bruch g minors Elgar 'cello Concertos etc etc, it's "Songs from the Shows" and "Hits from the Silver Screen" that have usurped Joe and Wolfie.

IMHO there's still too much Bach performed (especially at Easter and Christmas)

I do not understand the phrase "too much Bach" (I would agree with "too little Buxtehude", and/or "not nearly enough Schütz") - when was the last time you saw the magnificent BWV 79 broadcast? Or the Orgelbuchlein? These are amongst the treasures of the human species, yet I know of them only through my CD collection.

[vinteuil]

I do not understand the phrase "too much Bach" (I would agree with "too little Buxtehude", and/or "not nearly enough Schütz") - when was the last time you saw the magnificent BWV 79* broadcast? Or the Orgelbuchlein? These are amongst the treasures of the human species, yet I know of them only through my CD collection.

... je plussoie

* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gott_de...Schild,_BWV_79

[Boilk]

I do not understand the phrase "too much Bach" (I would agree with "too little Buxtehude", and/or "not nearly enough Schütz") - when was the last time you saw the magnificent BWV 79 broadcast? Or the Orgelbuchlein? These are amongst the treasures of the human species, yet I know of them only through my CD collection.

Well, Bach in lieu of other Baroque composers, and late Rennaissance ones - much of the most spectacular relgious music of that era was written for the biggest Christian festivals, but not just by JSB. Schütz is a good case in point (John, Luke, Matthew passions) and then there are the oratorios and passions of Telemann, but as you say, generally confined to appearance on CD.

[amateur51]

On 29 January 2013, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will play Mozart symphonies no 39, 40 & 41 with Sir Simon Rattle at London's Royal Festival Hall

http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/classical/tickets/orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment-63763

[Dave2002]

On 29 January 2013, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment will play Mozart symphonies no 39, 40 & 41 with Sir Simon Rattle at London's Royal Festival Hall

http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk/find/music/classical/tickets/orchestra-of-the-age-of-enlightenment-63763

Much though I like them, am I alone in preferring them in concerts with either other non symphonic works by Mozart, or works by other composers?

Also the earlier symphonies hardly ever get performed in concerts. 39-41 is hardly very adventurous, is it?

[amateur51]

Much though I like them, am I alone in preferring them in concerts with either other non symphonic works by Mozart, or works by other composers?

Also the earlier symphonies hardly ever get performed in concerts. 39-41 is hardly very adventurous, is it?

I think that's called being 'hard to please' dave2002

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Much though I like them, am I alone in preferring them in concerts with either other non symphonic works by Mozart, or works by other composers?

Also the earlier symphonies hardly ever get performed in concerts. 39-41 is hardly very adventurous, is it?

I felt much the same about VW 4, 5 & 6 at the Proms. A concert needs contrast.

[Dave2002]

I think that's called being 'hard to please' dave2002

Maybe, but what is happening to performances of Mozart?
What is being played instead?

If the 39-41 combination was one of many Mozart concerts that'd be fine. We've just had an all RVW Prom, so single composer concerts with consecutive symphonies can work well. But surely it should be easy to find concerts with Mozart works, yet seemingly it is not, which I thought was part of the thinking behind this thread.

There are so many pieces which one can only hear on CD or the radio, which is a great shame.

[Dave2002]

I felt much the same about VW 4, 5 & 6 at the Proms. A concert needs contrast.

Actually that concert was brilliant, but then I wouldn't expect so many performances of RVW each year, and we probably have to be grateful for what we got (whether or not it was brilliant, which it was) - yet apparently Mozart is fading from view.

[amateur51]

What a load of whingers!!

Proposition 1: No-one plays Vaughan Williams symphonies - Maestro Manze steps forwards, conducts symphonies 4, 5 and 6 to great acclaim except from a few on here who claim it was too much

Proposition 2: No-one plays Mozart symphonies any more - Rattle schedules the last 3 because they're so different and yet composed in the same 3 month period late in Mozart's like and the whingers are at it again.

You really are enough to make a cat laugh