Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Despite its melancholic tone, it’s one of Mozart's most popular and frequently performed symphonies: the Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550. Here, Mozart's classic is played by the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig under the baton of Andris Nelsons. The concert took place on March 15, 2017 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on the occasion of Andris Nelsons' appointment as Gewandhauskapellmeister.
(00:00) I. Molto allegro
(08:16) II. Andante
(18:51) III. Menuetto. Allegretto – Trio
(23:12) IV. Allegro assai
Symphony No. 40 is sometimes referred to as the “Great G minor Symphony” to avoid confusion with another symphony in the same key, the “Little G minor Symphony” No. 25, K. 183, which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) composed when he was young. Mozart wrote his 40th Symphony in Vienna in July 1788. The premiere took place at the home of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, considered Mozart's patron. Van Swieten also supported the other two great composers of the Classical era, Haydn and Beethoven. It is said that the premiere of the Symphony in G minor went so poorly that Mozart left the hall early.
Overall, Symphony No. 40 conveys a somewhat gloomy mood, but it always radiates elegance. Mozart starts the now famous theme in G minor without any introduction. The first movement is characterized by dark tension – and yet flows along buoyantly. The second movement is also characterized by contrast: a gloomy, pensive theme that is also graceful, sometimes even light. The third movement, the minuet, does not have a typical dance cadence, but is instead characterized by polyphony and rich dissonances. The fourth movement releases a veritable flood of strength and energy. Its unusually changeable rhythm seems to give rise to a mysterious kind of drama.
Mozart was well aware that the 40th Symphony must have seemed positively modern to his contemporaries. Nevertheless, it soon became a popular orchestral piece. As early as 1800, numerous arrangements were in circulation.
© 2018 Accentus Music
Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall: youtube.com/playlistlist=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
in our MOZART playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBVMUV5tqlgIMa-NdrBs5qum
in our SYMPHONIES playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBXvpOWNmQ1AUBPQeyNanpxY
and in our playlist with masterpieces from the CLASSICAL PERIOD: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBX17Jic5IUJQle18jrnZAof
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#mozart #symphony #classicalconcert
Despite its melancholic tone, it’s one of Mozart's most popular and frequently performed symphonies: the Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550. Here, Mozart's classic is played by the Gewandhaus Orchester Leipzig under the baton of Andris Nelsons. The concert took place on March 15, 2017 at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig on the occasion of Andris Nelsons' appointment as Gewandhauskapellmeister.
(00:00) I. Molto allegro
(08:16) II. Andante
(18:51) III. Menuetto. Allegretto – Trio
(23:12) IV. Allegro assai
Symphony No. 40 is sometimes referred to as the “Great G minor Symphony” to avoid confusion with another symphony in the same key, the “Little G minor Symphony” No. 25, K. 183, which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) composed when he was young. Mozart wrote his 40th Symphony in Vienna in July 1788. The premiere took place at the home of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, considered Mozart's patron. Van Swieten also supported the other two great composers of the Classical era, Haydn and Beethoven. It is said that the premiere of the Symphony in G minor went so poorly that Mozart left the hall early.
Overall, Symphony No. 40 conveys a somewhat gloomy mood, but it always radiates elegance. Mozart starts the now famous theme in G minor without any introduction. The first movement is characterized by dark tension – and yet flows along buoyantly. The second movement is also characterized by contrast: a gloomy, pensive theme that is also graceful, sometimes even light. The third movement, the minuet, does not have a typical dance cadence, but is instead characterized by polyphony and rich dissonances. The fourth movement releases a veritable flood of strength and energy. Its unusually changeable rhythm seems to give rise to a mysterious kind of drama.
Mozart was well aware that the 40th Symphony must have seemed positively modern to his contemporaries. Nevertheless, it soon became a popular orchestral piece. As early as 1800, numerous arrangements were in circulation.
© 2018 Accentus Music
Watch more concerts in your personal concert hall: youtube.com/playlistlist=PL_SdnzPd3eBV5A14dyRWy1KSkwcG8LEey
in our MOZART playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBVMUV5tqlgIMa-NdrBs5qum
in our SYMPHONIES playlist: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBXvpOWNmQ1AUBPQeyNanpxY
and in our playlist with masterpieces from the CLASSICAL PERIOD: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_SdnzPd3eBX17Jic5IUJQle18jrnZAof
Subscribe to DW Classical Music: youtube.com/dwclassicalmusic
#mozart #symphony #classicalconcert
