Symphony No. 36 in C Major

Mozart tells us that Symphony No. 36 was written “at breakneck speed” during a break in his journey from Salzburg to Vienna, which took him through the small town of Linz. He began work on 30 October 1783 and finished the symphony in time for a concert there on 4 November. The “Linz” explores emotional depths, formal innovations and subtleties of orchestration not heard in Mozart’s earlier symphonies. It was the first to begin with a slow introduction, whose jerky rhythms recall the old-fashioned style of the French overture. This quickly gives way to a light “Allegro spiritoso”, with echoes of the “Turkish” style of his opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The “Andante” reveals a new seriousness of purpose in his slow movements and daringly includes parts for trumpets and drums (a rarity in 1783). A hearty “Menuetto” and folk-inflected “Trio” lead to the final “Presto”, whose orchestral effects recall Haydn, while the multi-layered (contrapuntal) development of ideas heralds the glories of Mozart’s final symphony.