Your Favorite Mozart Symphonies

[USMC1960s]

Just curious as to what the membership here likes best among Mozart's symphonies. Thank you in advance.

[Karl Henning]

The 39^th in E^b gets too little love.

I love the "Prague", too (38^th in D).

(Everyone, absolutely everyone, does — or ought to — love the 40^th & 41^st.)

[Mandryka]

Just curious as to what the membership here likes best among Mozart's symphonies. Thank you in advance.

38, it's so elegant, so intelligent.

[Brian]

Hate to sound like a broken record, but my answer is also 38 and 39.

[mc ukrneal]

The ones that Mozart wrote. Those are the best!

There are so many good ones, but more often than not 25 just seems to resonate with me most consistently. But I heard this one late, and probably overlistened to the later ones, so maybe I'll change my mind next time I listen...

[Karl Henning]

The ones that Mozart wrote. Those are the best!

There are so many good ones, but more often than not 25 just seems to resonate with me most consistently. But I heard this one late, and probably overlistened to the later ones, so maybe I'll change my mind next time I listen...

That is really a risk;  I quite deliberately pace my Mozart symphony intake.

Tangentially, this is one of the ancillary benefits of Haydn's having written soooo many symphonies;  if there is any way to play any of his symphonies to exhaustion — short of the outright silliness of listening to only two of them    — I have not found it!

[Gurn Blanston]

I would say 38 & 40 if I didn't like 39 so much... 

[Sergeant Rock]

7a "Alte Lambacher", 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 25, 28, 33, 34, 40

I like the brat Mozart 

Sarge

[DaveF]

7a "Alte Lambacher", 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 25, 28, 33, 34, 40
Sarge

Quite agree that 34 needs more loving - splendid work, including Mozart's last gigue finale before he went on to more ambitious things.  A mention also for 32, the shortest, an ingenious cross between an Italian overture and a sonata-form.  And the Linzer.  And all the obvious ones.  And there's an early one (too lazy to look it up) in a major key (of course) with a minor-key slow movement, which unusual, indeed unique, feature, makes it memorable.  To me.

[Gurn Blanston]

7a "Alte Lambacher", 9, 12, 14, 15, 20, 25, 28, 33, 34, 40

I like the brat Mozart 

Sarge

At that point, it is difficult to leave out the A major #29, wouldn't you agree?  And I need to look up the number when I get home, but there is one in the area of K 130 which is in Bb that's a peach too.

[Sergeant Rock]

At that point, it is difficult to leave out the A major #29, wouldn't you agree?

I would. I debated between 28 and 29...should have just included both.

Sarge

[Cato]

I would. I debated between 28 and 29...should have just included both.

Sarge

At that point, it is difficult to leave out the A major #29, wouldn't you agree?  And I need to look up the number when I get home, but there is one in the area of K 130 which is in Bb that's a peach too.

I would say 38 & 40 if I didn't like 39 so much... 

38, it's so elegant, so intelligent.

The 39^th in E^b gets too little love.

I love the "Prague", too (38^th in D).

(Everyone, absolutely everyone, does — or ought to — love the 40^th & 41^st.)

Basically, those from Symphony #27 onward especially resonate with me, with those mentioned above resonating even more!

[Jo498]

My favorite is 38, then 40 and 39. I am not as fond of the "Jupiter" as many other people.

Somewhat overlooked in my impression are 33 and 34, both much better than the more famous 31 (Paris). Also 28 is overshadowed by 25 and 29 (somewhat understandable but undeserved). Another interesting one is the ouverture/sinfonia Nr. 26 (a rather dramatic/operatic piece with a bigger orchestra than e.g. 29)

I also have a fondness of the two biggest "symphonic serenades" K 250 (Haffner) and K 320 (Posthorn). Some people find them boring and they ARE mighty long but very good.

[USMC1960s]

Thank you for the responses. Much appreciated.

[Drasko]

38

[Gurn Blanston]

I would. I debated between 28 and 29...should have just included both.

Sarge

Yup, tough choice. The one in Bb is actually #24, not in the 130's but 173dA (182). It has some nice ideas; no masterpiece but comparing well to its peers. Except Haydn, of course...

[Gurn Blanston]

I also have a fondness of the two biggest "symphonic serenades" K 250 (Haffner) and K 320 (Posthorn). Some people find them boring and they ARE mighty long but very good.

Me too! And as well as those 2, K 334, the Robinig symphonic Divertimento (a serenade for all intents and purposes). Hard to imagine them as boring; add in their opening and closing marches and you have a symphony, a concerto and a couple of dances and marches to go along with. Undervalued, I suppose.

[Bogey]

The 39^th in E^b gets too little love.

I love the "Prague", too (38^th in D).

(Everyone, absolutely everyone, does — or ought to — love the 40^th & 41^st.)

It's a dartboard for me with those numbers....38-41.

[Sergeant Rock]

Quite agree that 34 needs more loving...

Szell made me love it. I was at Severance in Jan '69 when 34 was first on the program (Prokofiev VC2 and Schumann 2 followed). And there was the famous Concertgebouw recording, coupled with a splendid Beethoven 5.

Sarge

[Ken B]

40, 39, 41

38

25, 33

In order, the lines indicating largish gaps.