Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551, "Jupiter"

Thunder and lightning alongside the smiling, radiant face of a father: it’s Jupiter, the father of all gods! And what better nickname than “Jupiter” for Mozart’s Symphony No. 41? Strauss himself proclaimed: “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Jupiter Symphony is the most beautiful work I have ever heard!” Composed in the summer of 1788 alongside Symphonies No. 39 and 40 (a period of financial decline), Symphony No. 41 in C Major would be the last symphonic work of the German composer. The C Major key signature contributes to the idea of light and splendour that emanates from the score, an idea introduced from the beginning by the Allegro vivace. In this first movement, forays into opera buffa melodies produce a novel fusion of facetiousness and contrupuntal style. Moving swiftly to the Andante cantabile, then the Minuetto of the third movement, the entrance of the percussion heralds the magnificence of the last movement. The Finale is then built around a coda-fugue, which has also earned it the name “Symphony with a Final Fuge.” The Symphony ends with a reversible five-part counterpoint and sublime orchestral virtuosity.