When did Mozart Become so Moody? by Lisa Li

            Wow. Having fallen asleep in classical music concerts for years, I was completely awake for the first time in the concert presented by Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) on March 19^th. Surprisingly, the BSO presented compositions of Wolfgang Mozart, which normally puts me to sleep. We know Mozart for his archetype classical style, including steady rhythm and tempo, light-mood and graceful melody, clarity and balance between instruments in presenting melodies and harmonies. Listening to Mozart is like watching classical ballet; with musicians expressing courteous manner and applying strictly ruled techniques. The Mozart symphonies presented by BSO—Symphony No. 39, 40 and 41—were different. In these compositions, Mozart appears to be unexpectedly emotional, which constantly excites and surprises the audience. He no longer strictly applied the classical music format, introducing the audience to the prelude of the Romantic Era. Listening to BSO’s performance, we discover a new Mozart, who tries to break out of his classical shell and express his emotions freely in his compositions.

            The second piece presented in the concert especially pulled me into the dancing bows on the violins, leaving my heart still my heart vibrating 10 hours later. Although composed in a classical-style symphony—fast movement, slow movement, minuet, fast movement—Symphony No. 40 presents an unusually romantic and lyrical melody. The four movements work with each other to create conflicts and tensions, which is what makes this piece especially exciting. The symphony starts with a fast movement in the key of G minor, with a rhythm of 2/2. The movement is dark and intense, with full of dramatic changes in volume and tempo. The melody often drifts in and out from its original minor key to a major key, creating a sense of nervousness. Listening to the first movement, you feel like walking through a medieval European dungeon, dark and nerve-racking, with torches still burning on the wall. Then you are immediately brought into a relaxing garden in an open field by the second movement of the symphony. The movement is in E flat major, the only movement in a major key in this entire symphony. The melody is very lyrical, slow and soothing, with rather steady tempo and not very dramatic volume change. Sometimes tension is created from a sudden switch from major scale into a harmonic minor scale, but they are mostly quickly resolved. You may consider that as the breeze that blows by the field. Now, take a deep breath, because the third movement will accelerate your heart rate again. Although labeled as “minuet,” the constant twists and turns in the melody are nothing you would want to dance to. The minuet returns to the key of G minor, but has a 3/4 time. It starts in a very angry mood, with two counterparts knitting a discorded sweater together. The melodies of the counterparts sometimes complement each other, but most the time clash into each other like two arguing brothers. In one part the wind instruments would bring the melody to a major key, where the tension between counterparts resolves. The melodrama in the melody, however, quickly resumes, bringing you to the fourth movement, in which you will feel like driving up and down in the mountains. The fourth movement returns to G minor and 2/2 time, like the first movement. Sometimes the violin leads the melody, as if asking a question. The wind instruments and other strings would respond to the question in a loud, rebellious tone. The instruments also always play in 16th notes, or even 32th notes, creating the texture of a wind. So many tensions and imagery are portrayed in the Mozart’s Symphony No. 40. I was never bored listening to it because every movement of the piece present me a different surprise. It felt like I riding a rollercoaster of Mozart’s emotion, with my resonating with every twist and turn.

            After going to the BSO concert, I was genuinely surprised by how moody Mozart became in his late composition era. I was also very glad that he finally broke the strict format of classical music, realizing that his music should not just please the king or other people, but should also serve as his own emotional relief. I was incredibly fascinated by the live-performance of Mozart’s moody pieces, so I would recommend you to go to the concert. However, to be completely honest, the concert was almost three hours long, and if you are not a huge fan of classical music, you will feel so bored and struggle to wait for it to be over. If that’s the case, don’t come to the concert.