The Symphony No. 31 in D major, K. 297/300a, better known as the "Paris Symphony," is one of the more famous symphonies by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The work was composed in 1778 during Mozart's unsuccessful job-hunting sojourn in Paris. The composer was then 22 years old. The premiere took place on 12 June 1778 in a private performance in the home of Count Karl Heinrich Joseph von Sickingen, the ambassador of the Elrectorate of the Palatinate. The public premiere took place six days later in a performance at the Concert Spirituel.
The work received a positive review in the June 26 issue of the Courrier de l'Europe, published in London. Several other performances ensued, and evidently, it was popular. At a later date, the symphony was performed in the Burgtheater in Vienna on 11 March 1783 during a benefit concert for the singer Aloysia Weber, Mozart's sister-in-law.
The Music and Instrumentation. The symphony is laid out in fast-slow-fast form, omitting the Minuet normally found in classical era symphonies:
- Allegro assai, 4/4
- Andantino, 6/8 in G major or Andante, 3/4 in G major
- Allegro, 2/2
The symphony was Mozart's first symphony to use clarinets. It is notable for having an unusually large instrumentation made possible by the large orchestra available to Mozart during his time in Paris. There are 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings.
Video Credit:
Mozart Symphony No. 31 in D major (Paris), Harnoncourt /Vienna Philharmonic. Youtube, uploaded by GreatPerformers1. Accessed June 12, 2015.
Resource:
Symphony No. 31 (Mozart). en.wikipedia.org. Accessed June 12, 2015.
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