Symphony No. 6 in C Major

Written between October 1817 and February 1818, Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 finds him looking to Rossini, whose comic opera The Barber of Seville was all the rage in Vienna. The initial movement’s “Adagio” introduction deftly anticipates an “Allegro” akin to an Italian opera overture, not least through its insouciant woodwind writing and effervescent coda. The “Andante” centres on a genteel theme alternating with boisterous episodes, while the “Scherzo” is among the composer’s most energetic, only partly offset by its songful trio. The “Allegro moderato” finale features some whimsical repartee between woodwind and strings, its second half largely repeating the first before the pace suddenly increases for a decisive conclusion. Its first public performance, on 14 December 1828, came about because the Viennese Musical Association prefered this to the “Great C major” (No. 9) as it was shorter and easier to play. The piece has always had its admirers, among them Stravinsky and the conductor Thomas Beecham.