WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
(1756-1791)

Symphony No.31 in D, KV297
" Paris"
Symphony No.38 in D, KV504 "Prague"

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
conducted by :
JOSEF KRIPS

Recorded: Amsterdam, Concertgebouw,
11/1972 & 6/1973 (Andante zu KV297)
Producer: Volker Straus †

DSD remastered

"REAL" SYMPHONIES
Although Köchel classified a total of 41 symphonies by Mozart‘s hand, this genre does not occupy the same central position within his oeuvre as was held by the symphony in the oeuvre of Joseph Haydn. In his Sinfoniae, Wolfgang the "prodigy" found a musical expression for the impressions he acquired while travelling; not until he was appointed Konzertmeister in Salzburg did he compose "real" symphonies. After moving to Vienna, he focussed his attention mostly on the piano concerto, and in his later years he wrote only six more symphonic works. The main reason for this was that, in Mozart‘s time, the symphony was not generally the main work to be presented during a concert. It was more an orchestral setting for the performance of the wildly acclaimed soloists, whose virtuoso skills demanded a suitable background.
There is still in existence an extensive correspondence between Wolfgang Amadeus and his father Leopold with regard to the Paris Symphony. The French capital of Paris was the objective of the lengthy journey he made in the company of his mother, during which he stopped over for some time in Mannheim and Munich. After receiving a commission from the concert promoter Joseph Le Gros, Mozart composed his Symphony in D, K.297 in Paris in May 1778: the première on June 18 during the subscription series "Concerts spirituels" was received, as Mozart "wrote, "mit allem aplauso" („with great applause"). Nevertheless, the Andante apparently did not quite appeal to the taste of the public at large, and Mozart agreed to Le Gros‘ request to compose a new movement – which nowadays is not heard all too frequently – for a second performance of the work for August 15: "Unfortunately, the Andante did not satisfy him – he says that it contains too much modulation – and that it is too long." And thus the Andante K.297 came into existence, a far simpler movement than the first. The size of the large orchestra in Paris inspired Mozart, especially in the corner movements, to compose resounding tutti passages, rich in contrast, which demonstrate his pleasure in the sound of the large orchestra. The ideas Mozart came up with in the first and last movements prove that he was well aware of the special wishes of the Paris audiences. In the first, he employed the famous "premier coup d'archet" – that energetic bowing of the string-players, uniformly performed. By contrast, in the last movement he disappointed general expectations by giving precedence to an eight-bar pianissimo "whisper" over the expected tutti outburst.
The Paris Symphony mostly resembles the later Prague Symphony, which was written in the same key. The title given to this symphony, which was composed partly in the spring, partly in the December of 1786 in Vienna, is derived from the fact that it received its première in Prague on January 19, 1789. Conspicuous in the formal structure is the omission of a minuet; the work consists of three movements. Nevertheless, the dimensions of the work correspond so well to the statement it is conveying, that one does not miss the movement. Here, Mozart does without the clarinets he used in his Paris Symphony. But the scoring for large orchestra corresponds to the basic tone of the work, which is festively representative. The close link in time to the operas "Le nozze di Figaro" and "Don Giovanni" is also demonstrated in a number of musical "quotes". Yet the compositional substance of the symphony rises far above these motivic quotes: the psychologizing elements of theatre music, put to the test in his operas, undergo their baptism of fire in the finely chased, contrapuntally determined symphonic tone language. In this latter period of creation, Mozart no longer needed to choose between expressing himself in music written either for vocals, concertos or symphonies. The only important factor was that his potential for expressing himself in his compositions continued to increase.

“This was an original four-channel recording from the "quad" days; and, as usual, the PentaTone producers and engineers have not tampered with it, respecting the artistic integrity of the original master tapes. The strings are spread across a soundstage with adequate width. The woodwinds sound forward yet still behind the strings, and the brass and timpani sound forth from the rear of the stage, using the hall's reverberation for maximum effect. The acoustics of the Concertgebouw are renowned, and the engineers have captured a warm acoustic that does not blur detail.”
---Rad Bennett, Soundstage (October 2003)

“Josef Krips, a conductor more autocratic than most, usually got what he wanted from an orchestra, and the one heard here, the Royal Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, is no exception. Here, Krips keeps things moving right along in performances that really bristle with excitement.”
---Dr. Phil Muse, Classik Reviews (December 2003)

“From 1972-1973 Josef Krips recorded all of the late Mozart symphonies beginning with No. 21. All of these are distinguished by superlative orchestral playing, but Krips' leisurely approach is far removed from the excitement built into the scores. Even Allegros and Prestos just plog along, albeit beautifully played. Volker Straus' production team well captured the warmth and resonance of the famed Concertgebouw. I enjoyed these performances in spite of Krips' slow tempi. All three of these works were on one LP; I understand these are the only Krips Mozart four-channel recordings which would explain the rather short playing time.”
---Bob Benson, www.classicalcdreview.com

“The recordings were made towards the end of the life of the former conductor of the London Symphony, Vienna State Opera and San Francisco Symphony. He had conducted Concertgebouw performances of some of Mozart’s later symphonies and word was that these performances were so unforgettable that Philips decided to record all of them. These two symphonies are named after probably the two most beautiful cities in Europe, are both in the same key, and are therefore frequently paired on recordings. The Prague drops the clarinets used in the Paris Symphony but is more festive in mood. A most worthwhile addition to the multichannel library of great music.”
--John Sunier, audiphile audition

“Krips’s distinguished readings of Mozart’s three-movement symphonies in D with a world-class orchestra warrant special interest for collectors with multiple speaker SACD systems. The recording, part of an incomplete Mozart symphony cycle the Austrian maestro made in the 1970s for Philips, has been beautifully remastered by Pentatone. Close your eyes and the illusion of being in the Concertgebouw is unmistakable.”
--Michael Fine, FANFARE