Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 (Remastered) Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart & Gianluigi Gelmetti

• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791): Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550:
• 1 Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro 07:26
• 2 Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: II. Andante 07:34
• 3 Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: III. Menuetto - Allegretto 05:07
• 4 Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: IV. Allegro assai 06:18
• Total Runtime 26:25

Info for Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550 (Remastered)

Die Sinfonie g-Moll KV 550 komponierte Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart im Juli 1788 in Wien. Nach der Alten Mozart-Ausgabe trägt die Sinfonie, seine vorletzte, die Nummer 40 und zählt heutzutage zu den beliebtesten und meistgespielten Orchesterwerken des Komponisten.

Bezüglich Entstehungsgeschichte und Kompositionsanlass vgl. Einleitung bei der 39. Sinfonie (KV 543). Mozart hat die Sinfonie KV 550 vermutlich am 25. Juli 1788 fertiggestellt, da er an diesem Tag ihr Incipit in sein Werkverzeichnis einfügte. Sie wurde noch zu Mozarts Lebzeiten aufgeführt: In einem Brief vom 19. Juli 1802 an den Leipziger Verleger Ambrosius Kühnel berichtet der Prager Musiker Johann Wenzel von der Aufführung der Sinfonie im Beisein Mozarts bei Baron Gottfried van Swieten, die jedoch so schlecht ausfiel, dass der Komponist es vorzog, den Raum zu verlassen. Im nachträglichen Hinzufügen zweier Klarinetten (landläufig: „Zweite Fassung“ gegenüber der „Ersten Fassung“ ohne sie) sehen mehrere Autoren einen Hinweis auf ein Konzert, das am 16. und 17. April 1791 im Rahmen der Tonkünstler-Sozietät unter Leitung von Antonio Salieri in Wien stattfand und an dem auch die mit Mozart befreundeten Klarinettisten Johann und Anton Stadler beteiligt waren; als erstes wurde „Eine große Sinfonie von der Erfindung des Hrn. Mozart“ gespielt.

Manchmal wird KV 550 als „Große g-Moll-Sinfonie“ bezeichnet, die ebenfalls in g-Moll stehende Sinfonie KV 183 als „Kleine g-Moll-Sinfonie“. So weist Georges Beck (1952) auf mehrere Ähnlichkeiten hin (siehe bei KV 183); während Ronald Woodham (1983)[6] resümiert: „Diese Parallelen und auch die beiden Sinfonien eigene Ausdrucksstärke sind beachtenswert, doch springen die Unterschiede weit mehr ins Auge als die Gemeinsamkeiten …“

Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart
Gianluigi Gelmetti, Dirigent

Digitally remastered

Gianluigi Gelmetti
is one of today’s most prestigious conductors on the international scene.

Born in Rome, Italy, he was only 16 when Sergiu Celibidache let him conduct an orchestra for the first time then took him as his pupil. After completing his studies with Franco Ferrara and Hans Swarowski, he won the “Firenze” prize in 1967. Since his professional debut with the Berliner Philharmoniker, he regularly appears on the podium of the world’s most important opera houses, concert halls and festivals.

He was Principal Conductor of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra (Radio-Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart) and the Schwetzingen Festival, for nine years then Music Director of Rome’ Teatro dell’Opera for nine more. In those same years, he also was Principal Conductor and Artistic Director of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

More recently, he was appointed principal conductor of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, a post that he held until 2016, then becoming “Chef Honoraire” for life and being awarded monegasque citizenship by H.H. Prince Albert II.

Maestro Gelmetti particularly treasures the Italian and French operatic repertory of the 19th and 20th Century, including revivals and premieres of rarely performed works. In Italy, he has conducted numerous productions at the Rossini Opera Festival: Tancredi, La Gazza Ladra, Otello, Maometto II, receiving the “Rossini d’Oro” award with Guillaume Tell.

With the Rome Opera House he conducted, among many others, the World Premieres of Marie-Victoire and La Fiamma by Ottorino Respighi; Sakúntala by Franco Alfano, Iris by Pietro Mascagni.

He particularly treasures Mozart, having conducted Don Giovanni, Le Nozze di Figaro (was awarded the “Best Conductor of the Year” prize by Opernwelt), Così Fan Tutte and Die Zauberflöte.

Some of further lyric works that he conducted: Falstaff at the Opera of Monte -Carlo; Guillaume Tell in Pesaro, Zürich, Monte-Carlo and Paris; La Forza del Destino in Parma; Les Vêpres Siciliennes in Naples; Turandot in Tokyo; Il Barbiere di Siviglia and I Due Foscari in Toulouse; Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata in Trieste; La Fanciulla del West in Liège. Most recently, he conducted La Cenerentola for Rada Film and the direction of Carlo Verdone.

However, Maestro Gelmetti should not be labelled a “lyric conductor” since he also regularly conducts symphonic concerts at Europe, America and Asia’s most prestigious venues, his repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary.

He has led the most prestigious Orchestras, in Germany (Berlin, Bonn, Hamburg, Stuttgart, München, Köln, Dresden, Leipzig); in France (Paris, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Lyon) in Spain (Madrid, Bilbao), in Italy (practically all), plus the Czech Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the London Symphony, the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Copenhagen, Oslo… He also appears on podiums in China, Qatar, Oman…

He has severally performed in Japan, both lyric and symphonic repertoires, conducting the NHK, Yomiuri, Kyoto and Japan Philharmonic Orchestras.

His discographic catalogue, recorded mostly for EMI but also for SONY, RICORDI, FONIT, DECCA, TELDEC AND AGORÀ, shows the extent and complexity of his repertoire, including several operas by Rossini, Puccini and Mozart; Ravel orchestral music; Mozart Symphonies; and selected works by Stravinsky, Berg, Webern, Varèse and Rota. Recent releases include Bruckner’s Symphony n.6 and Rossini’s Stabat Mater.

Maestro Gelmetti is also a composer and a director. He has staged several operas: Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Cenerentola, L’Isola Disabitata (Haydn), Così fan Tutte, Tosca, La Rondine, Gianni Schicchi / Suor Angelica, Cavalleria Rusticana, la Traviata, Il Corsaro, Tristan und Isolde, most often directing and conducting them at the same time.

Finally, Gianluigi Gelmetti was named «Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres» in France, «Commandeur de l’Ordre du Mérite Culturel» in Monaco and «Cavaliere di Gran Croce» by Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi.

This album contains no booklet.