Of Note for Tuesday, August 18, 2015: Mozart's Penultimate Symphony

Toward the end of his career, Mozart developed a more intimate, therapeutic relationship with musical composition. He wrote his final symphonies after moving to a more private home in the Viennese suburbs where he was less distracted by the activity of the busy city, and the results are magnificent. “Symphony No. 40 in G Minor” swells with tragedy and explores the depths of melancholy; this striking grasp of human emotion made it an instant classic. Listen to a performance by Les Musiciens du Louvre as they play this sentimental piece on authentic instruments of the period, delivering the full range of its intensity on Tuesday’s show.