Nikolaus Harnoncourt & Concentus Musicus Wien — Stefaniensaal, Graz, 2014

Live capture of a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor K. 550, given in 2014 at the Stefaniensaal in Graz, Austria. On the podium, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, a pioneer of the period-instrument movement, is reunited with his historic ensemble, the Concentus Musicus Wien, which he founded back in 1953. Despite its melancholy tone, this symphony is among Mozart’s most famous and frequently performed. This live concert presents its four movements — Molto allegro, Andante, Menuetto and Allegro assai — in a reading of remarkable clarity and tension, faithful to the interpretive principles that made Harnoncourt’s reputation: living articulation, speaking phrasing and original instrumental colours. The polished capture highlights the finesse of a conductor then advanced in years but still uncompromising, in one of his last great Mozartian performances. For the classical-music enthusiast, this full concert offers a precious document: the meeting of a cornerstone of the symphonic repertoire with one of the most influential interpreters of the 20th century, filmed in the warm acoustics of the Graz hall.