Schubert: Symphony No 9 | Philharmonia Orchestra

An afternoon of Viennese genius with Schubert’s mighty Symphony No 9, alongside two works by Mozart.

Schubert’s ‘Great C major’ Symphony (so-called to distinguish it from the earlier, shorter ‘Little C major’) combines the gift for melody that shines from Schubert's songs and chamber music with grand scale of a full symphony orchestra, to stunning effect. Schubert composed the symphony during a summer when it seemed he might be restored to health. He responded to this reprieve with music full of life and optimism, from the questing opening horn-call to the unstoppable momentum of the finale, in which he quotes Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’.

In the first half, Mozart’s overture to The Marriage of Figaro vividly conjures up the bustle of preparations for Figaro and Susanna’s wedding. Then, one of Mozart’s finest piano concertos. A graceful and uplifting first movement, a slow movement full of profound emotion, and a dazzling ‘theme and variations’ finale give the soloist the chance to display both technical skill and communicative gifts.