Symphony No.31, "Paris" in D major, K. 297/300a

It was in 1778 that WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART came to Paris for the second time. The passion for opera, which in Mannheim was directed towards the creation of a German opera, exploded in Paris in the "war" between the Gluckists and the Piccinists. Instrumental music, the composer's strength at the time, was pushed into the background. His situation was quite different: he was no longer the child virtuoso, and as a composer he was still unknown. His search for a suitable work was fruitless. Wanting to write an opera, he accepted J.J. Nover's suggestion of the plot of "Alexandra and Roxana", from the genre of Gluck's dramas, but this attempt did not materialise. At one of the concerts, however, he performed his new symphony, called Paris. At certain times, influenced by his place of residence, his travels and his immediate impressions, Mozart absorbed various influences - Italian, Austrian, French. The first symphonies (KV 16, 17, 19, 22) were written after Johann Christian Bach. Between 1767 and 1768 he wrote five new symphonies in Vienna. Overcoming the influence of J. Ch. Bach and moving closer to the Viennese school, Mozart introduced full recapitulations in the sonata forms of the K45 and K48 Symphonies and a minuet in the F major Symphony, K43. In another part of his symphonies, KV 73, 75, 98, 112, the German influence of Carl Stamitz and Michael Haydn begins to be felt. In some of them, the wind parts become more independent and participate with solos. The Symphonies in A major, K. 114, 134 and F major, K. 130, are even closer to Haydn, with a marked individuality and unity of the cycle. On the other hand, the Symphonies K. 84, 95, 97 and G Major K. 73 remain in the realm of Italian influences. Here, the orchestral treatment of the strings and the frequent changes of subject matter take precedence over elaboration. Reflecting on his impressions of Paris, Mozart wrote to his father: '...in Germany we like long compositions, but in reality it is better to be short and beautiful'. The Paris Symphony, K297, is therefore tailored to the tastes of Parisian dilettantes: it is graceful, effective, with more sonic effects than instrumental solos, and not particularly large. In some of his Salzburg symphonies, he eliminated minuets, which was also to the taste of the French public. The second movement was rewritten, as described in a letter to his father: 'I have composed another Andante'. Both movements are successful in their own way, each has a different character. But I like the new one better’. Both versions of the second movement have survived and are played optionally (the first Andante is in G major, 6/8 time, and the second Andante is in G major, ¾ time). The symphony is also significant for another reason: it is Mozart's first symphony in which he introduced clarinets. In 1778, the composer was offered a position in Salzburg. Despite his reluctance to return to that city, he left France at the end of September 1778 after the death of his mother, who had accompanied him to Paris. In one of Mozart's biographies, the author Maynard Solomon suggests that Mozart's drive to find work failed at various points, not because he was incapable, unproductive or untalented, but because his father imposed his own plan for success and action, which the artist was ultimately unable to carry out. The Paris Symphony was premiered at a private function on 12 June 1778 at the home of Count Karl Heinrich Joseph von Sikingen, ambassador to Paris for the Electors of the Palatinate. The first public performance took place just six days later by the Concert Spirituel. Mozart created brilliant, haunting music and gained recognition not only in France. This is evidenced by a report in the London Courrier de l'Europe on 26 June 1778: 'The performance of the Concert Spirituel began with a symphony by Mr. Mozart. This artist, who has made a name for himself among harpsichordists from a very early age, can now be counted among the most able composers'.