The Symphony No. 23 in D major, K. 181/162b, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was dated as complete on May 19, 1773. It is sometimes called "Overture", even though the autograph score bears the title "Sinfonia". The symphony is scored for 2 oboes, 2 horns in D, 2 trumpets in D, and strings.
Background The genre of the symphony was key in the Classical period, becoming the most important genre of instrumental music. Multiple musical local traditions existed in Europe at the time, which Mozart absorbed during his travels through most of Western Europe. In the Mozart family grand tour from between 1763 and 1766, Wolfgang wrote around 15 symphonies, many of which have not been preserved. More symphonies were written during Mozart's stays in Vienna (1767–68) and Italy (1769–71).
Composition The symphony was completed on 19 May 1773, being part of a group of four (No. 22, 24 and 26) written shortly after the return from the third travel to Italy. According to Saint-Foix, these symphonies may have been commissioned by a Milanese patron.
According to musicologist Neal Zaslaw, the symphony found success at the time, as sets of parts were found in the cities of Brno, Frankfurt and Regensburg. These copies also modified the scoring of the piece; viola parts were reduced to a single one and the trumpets were removed in the parts found in Brno and Frankfurt, while the Regensburg ones had the possibility of oboes being replaced by flutes. The original 1773 autograph is located at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York.
Instrumentation The symphony is scored for 2 oboes, 2 horns in D, 2 trumpets in D, and strings. Neal Zaslaw notes additional parts for bassoon, timpani, and continuo (probably harpsichord).
Form The symphony follows the overall tripartite structure of the Italian overture, divided in three movements that are played continuously (attacca)
Il Allegro spiritoso
II. Andantino grazioso
III. Presto assai
Assessment
French musicologist and Mozart scholar Georges de Saint-Foix praised the piece, making a favourable comparison against the surrounding ones in the catalogue; Symphony No. 22, K. 162 and Symphony No. 24 K. 182. British musicologist Stanley Sadie also praised the symphony as "full of brilliant writing and 'effective' passages, built up into an elegantly and logically shaped edifice".
Recordings Most recordings of the symphony are as part of complete recording projects of Mozart's symphonies.
Conductor Orchestra Recording Date Formats Labels Catalogue ID References Otto Ackermann Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra Unknown, released before 1988 LP / Digital Documents records CHS-1194 Ferenc Fricsay Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin 1951, released 2018 CD / Digital Deutsche Gramophon 00028947982753 Erich Leinsdorf Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1955, released 1960, rerelease 2006 LP / CD /Digital Westminster Records / Deutsche Gramophon XWN 18756 / 00028947758471 Günter Kehr Mainzer Kammerorchester 1966, rereleased on 1976 and 1991 LP / CD / Digital Vox Records / World Record Club SVBX 5118 / R.03331-2-3 / CDX 5030 Karl Böhm Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Released 1968, rereleased multiple times afterwards LP / CD / Digital Deutsche Grammophon 643 521/35 Sir Neville Marriner Academy of St Martin in the Fields Released 1970, rereleased 1996 LP / CD / Digital Philiphs Records / Decca Records ZRG 653 / 00028945408521 Josef Krips Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra 1973, released 1974, rereleased 1990 CD / Digital Philips Records / Decca Records 426 973-2 / 00028942697324 Libor Pešek 1977, released 2013 Digital Supraphon VT 9738-2 Christopher Hogwood The Academy of Ancient Music 1979, released same year, rereleased 1987 and 2009 LP / Cassette / CD / Digital L'Oiseau-Lyre / Decca Records LC 0171 / Decca 476 1718 James Levine Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra 1986, released 1988, rereleased in 2015 CD / Digital Deutsche Grammophon 423 365-2 / 00289 479 4195 Hans Graf Mozarteum Orchestra Salzburg 1989, released 1990 CD / Digital Capriccio Records C10314 Sir Charles Mackerras 1989, released 1990 CD / Digital Telarc Digital CD-80217 Nicholas Ward Northern Chamber Orchestra 1993, released 1995 and rereleased 2013 CD / Digital Naxos records 8.550876 / 8.501109 Claudio Abbado Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 1994, released 1996, rereleased 2018 CD / Digital Sony Classical Records G010001222975B / 19075816312 Trevor Pinnock The English Concert 1992–5, released 2002 CD / Digital Deutsche Gramophon 471 666-2 Jaap ter Linden Mozart Akademie Amsterdam 2001–02, released 2006 and rereleased on 2011 and 2014 CD / Digital Brilliant Classics 92110 / 94295 / 95010 Ádám Fischer Danish National Chamber Orchestra 2008–09, released 2009, rereleased 2013 CD / Digital Dacapo Records 6.220542 / 8.201201 David Greilsammer Orchestre de chambre de Genève Released 2012 CD / Digital Sonny Classical Records 88725430252
References
Sources
External links
Symphony Nr. 23, K. 181, All About Mozart