Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra — Mozart, Symphony No. 38 “Prague”, 2013

A live performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504, “Prague,” by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra under Italian conductor Giovanni Antonini, captured on 1 March 2013. Composed in late 1786 and premiered in Prague on 19 January 1787, the symphony is notable for having no minuet: it moves from a broad slow introduction into a contrapuntal Allegro, a singing Andante, and a dazzlingly brisk closing Presto. Leading one of the world’s most celebrated orchestras, Antonini — a major figure of historically informed performance — brings the score vivid phrasing, sharp dynamic contrasts and strikingly clear articulation, true to his deep study of the Mozart sources. Filmed in the main hall of Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, this capture delivers a live concert of remarkable legibility, the transparency of the sections illuminating Mozart’s dense writing. A fine document for discovering one of the composer’s great symphonies carried by an exceptional orchestra.