What is your favorite Mozart symphony?

My personal affection is No. 36 "Linz" as well.

However I was curious that Jochum performed No. 33 so many times in his career so I printed out the scores and listened to it with scores. I found that the second movement (andante moderato) is so profound. That stirred my interest to collect more recordings to see different readings of conductors.

Below is a list of my current collection for your reference:

Abendroth / Radio Symphony Orchestra / '56
Bohm / Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / '66
Jochum / Bavarian Symphony Orchestra / '56
Jochum / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam / '61
Jochum / Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam / '86
Erich Kleiber / West Deutsche Radio Symphony Orchestra / '53
Carlos Kleiber / Vienna Symphony Orchestra / '67
Carlos Kleiber / Bavarian State Orchestra / '96
Mravinsky / Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra / '83
Klemperer / Philharmonic Orchestra / '62
Suitner / Dresden State State Orchestra / '75

Happy Listening!

Otto

Thank Lowrider's suggestion on No. 24. I will look into it.

Also agree with Jetxexpro, the string quintets are lovely with the additional viola to balance the tone dominated by two violins which by Mozart's point of view is too "thin".

Happy Listening!

Otto

As with Rja, I've never totally warmed to his symphonies. It may be because I believe Mozart loved the solo voice (the melody) and understood the push pull/give take of that voice better than he did the symphonic voice.

In many of his fist movements he gives a superficial nod to the crucial development section. Listen to a Beethoven 1st movement development and then compare it to a Mozart development and you may see what I mean. My wife and I have had this discussion and she disagrees with me. She doesn't disagree that a Beethoven development is more interesting, she hears Moazart's symphonic developments as being perfectly balanced to his overall symphonic architecture while I hear them as superficial given the amount of amazing musical material that preceded said development. Bear in mind I am not saying his symphonies are not works of genius...Anyway, interesting food for thought.

since I bought the Bohm complete set on cds (collectors edition) I do not listen to any other...

Interesting that no one has so far mentioned the "Little" G Minor symphony, #25. Definitely one of my favorites, along with the last six.

A favorite Haydn symphony thread would be interesting. I'll start that discussion off with #48, the Maria Theresa, and I of course must mention #31, the Horn Signal....#80 is a particular favorite of mine as well.