The symphonies Mozart wrote in his youth bear witness to the remarkable assurance of a composer whose genius was already in full flower. In 1773, on returning to Salzburg after spending several months in Italy, the seventeen-year-old Mozart resumed his position as Konzertmeister at the court of the archbishop. He had brought back from his stay in Italy a profound grasp of the art of instrumental writing, and it is from this period that his four-movement Symphony No.29 in A major (K201) dates. By turns energetic, nostalgic and witty, this work is imbued with a new spirit.

The celebrated Symphony No.40 in G minor (K550) dates from 1788 and is one of the most dramatic of all Mozart’s works. This symphony dispenses with any kind of slow introduction, plunging the listener straight into a dark-toned and restless Molto allegro that is full of contrasts, sparely orchestrated and shot through with bold modulations. This is followed by a meditative, almost desolate Andante. The down-to-earth humour of the robust Menuetto was remarked on by Berlioz, and the symphony ends with an Allegro assai that is permeated by an anguish and a profundity that look forward to German romanticism.

Completed on 10 August 1787, Eine kleine Nachtmusik (K525) is one of Mozart’s most frequently played serenades. Its four movements are models of balance, elegance and poetry.