Mozart – Symphony No. 40 – The Best Recordings

Mozart composed the Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 during the summer of 1788, one of three symphonies he completed in an extraordinary burst of creativity over roughly six weeks. It is one of only two symphonies he wrote in a minor key, and its restless, driven character has made it among the most performed and discussed works in the entire orchestral repertoire.

The opening movement’s urgent, syncopated theme in the violins has become one of the most instantly recognizable passages in classical music, launching a movement of remarkable intensity and motivic concentration. Mozart later revised the orchestration to include clarinets, and both versions survive, though the revised scoring is heard far more often today. Across its four movements the symphony sustains an emotional tension rare for its period, from the driven counterpoint of the finale to the chromatic daring of the minuet, qualities that led later commentators to hear in it a foreshadowing of Romanticism.

Here are The Classic Review editorial team’s recommendations for the best recordings of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.