Symphony No. 25 (Mozart)
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The Symphony No. 25 in G minor, K. 183/173dB, was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart after the success of his opera seria Lucio Silla. Upon returning to Salzburg, he soon composed Symphony No. 24 in B flat (completed October 3, 1773). Just two days later he noted the completion date of Symphony 25 (October 5). Whether he truly composed 2 symphonies in a single week is unlikely, but the truth remains unknown.
The symphony is laid out in impeccable classical form:
The piece, as a whole, is extremely unusual in that it is in a minor key - not only odd for Mozart, but for the classical period. It can be categorized as part of the Sturm und Drang artistic movement that was notable in Germany at the time. The only other minor key symphony from Mozart, 40 (which is also in G minor), may also be considered part of this movement along with other composers work at the time including Sturm und Drang symphonies of Joseph Haydn and Symphony in C minor by Joseph Martin Kraus. It is not just the minor key that excites and agitates the piece but the odd instrumentation - especially among the strings.
[edit] References in Popular Culture
- The first movement may be best known as the score for the opening sequence of the film Amadeus.
- The first movement's first theme was used by the heavy metal band Savatage as the mid-section of their instrumental "Mozart And Madness" on the Dead Winter Dead album, as well as by heavy metal band Children of Bodom as the introduction to Red Light In My Eyes Part II.
- A remix of the piece by BanYa appears on the music video game Pump It Up as Pump Me Amadeus.
- The symphony is also featured in Baz Luhrman's version of Romeo + Juliet (1996).
- Indian music director and composer, A R Rahman, created a variation on the chorus for an advertisement campaign for the watch company Titan.
