MOZART, W.A.: Symphony No. 34 (Koopman)
Orchestra:
Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra
Conductor:
Koopman, Ton
Composer:
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus
Symphony No. 34 in C major, K. 338
Venue: Grosser Saal, Mozarteum, Salzburg
Date of Concert: 2002
Festival: Mozartwoche Salzburg
Playing Time: 00:23:48
Television Director:
Hohlfeld, Horant
Producer:
Sievers, Ingunn
Catalogue Number: A05510545
The Dutch musician Ton Koopman was born in 1944 and ranks among the outstanding specialists in the field of historical performance practice. He studied organ, harpsichord and musicology in Amsterdam and turned to conducting during his training. From the very beginning, he used original instruments and combined theory and practice into a fascinating, historically well-founded interpretation of the works. In 1979 he founded the Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra. He is the principal conductor of the Netherlands Radio Chamber Orchestra. As a performing artist and teacher, Koopman has made decisive contributions to the renaissance of the music of the 17th and 18th centuries. He has published many books and articles, teaches at the Conservatory of The Hague and is an honorary member of the Royal Music Academy in London.
The Mozarteum Orchester Salzburg goes back to the Dom-Musik-Verein und Mozarteum founded in 1841. Since 1938 it has been an independent institution with professional musicians. It has been the orchestra of the city and the Land of Salzburg since 1958 and, in addition to its activity as opera and concert orchestra, it also performs regularly at the Salzburg Festival and the Mozartwoche.
After his trip to Paris in 1778, Mozart spent only two and a half more years in Salzburg before leaving the service of the hated Prince Archbishop forever. During this period, his self-confidence seems to have grown considerably, if we are to judge from the bold, ambitious Symphonies K. 318, 319 and 338 that were the last he wrote in Salzburg before settling in Vienna as a freelance musician. Written in the brilliant, formal key of C major, the symphony has a grand, majestic flow. The vigorous first movement is followed by a graceful, rococo-like Andante for strings and bassoons. The work closes with a lilting Allegro vivace in a tarantella rhythm.
