Author Description:
The second of Mozart's two symphonies in G minor (indeed, the second of his two symphonies in any minor key, discounting one doubtfully attributed work and the symphonic prelude to an oratorio) may be the most widely recognized of any of his symphonies. Composed in the summer of 1788, at a moment when his popularity with the Viennese public was beginning to fade (the recent premiere of Don Giovanni had been rather coolly received), the symphony's minor-mode turbulence has invited all sorts of speculation about Mozart's supposedly autobiographical intent. But given the exploratory character of much of his composition in this period, it seems more reasonable to attribute the G minor symphony's distinctiveness to an artist's efforts to open up new creative possibilities rather than to see it as his expression of mourning over his declining fortunes.
