Mozart · Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart Symphony No. 38 in D major, "Prague"
A gift for a city wild about Figaro
- Key
- D major
- Composed
- 1786
- Premiere
- 1787 Prague
- Duration
- about 30 min
- Movements
- 3 movements
- Instrumentation
- Woodwinds 2·2·0·2 · Brass 2·2·0·0 · Timpani · Strings
The story behind this piece
In late 1786, after his opera The Marriage of Figaro was a huge success in Prague, Mozart was invited to the city. He took along this symphony, completed on December 6, 1786, and conducted its premiere himself in Prague on January 19, 1787. That is how it got the name "Prague."
Unusually for a Viennese symphony of the time, it has only three movements, with no minuet. Instead, a long, carefully crafted slow introduction precedes the 1st movement.
What to listen for
- Introduction to the 1st movement: the long, serious introduction suddenly darkens into the minor partway through
- 3rd movement, Presto: a lively finale in which the wind instruments stand out
Listen · Score
Credits