Filmed mainly in Vienna's splendid "Musikvereinssaal," the Mozart
symphonies conducted by Karl Böhm are all interpreted by one of the
world's foremost orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, whose
principal conductors have included Wilhelm Furtwängler, Bruno Walter,
Herbert von Karajan, Claudio Abbado and, of course, Karl Böhm. "Thanks to
Bruno Walter's exemplary performances, particularly of Mozart's works, I
grabbed on to Mozart and fell in love with him so much that I had only one
wish: to conduct Mozart, Mozart, Mozart." (Karl Böhm)
Written in Salzburg in 1773, the "Little" G minor (thus distinguished from
the "Great" G minor K. 550) is one of the most striking works in the group
of nine symphonies Mozart wrote in 1773/74, as well as Mozart's first
symphony in a minor key. Music historians have often wondered about the
origin of this stormy and dramatic work that echoes the "Storm and Stress"
movement surging through Central Europe at that time. K. 183 also follows
the model of the minor-key symphonies of other composers such as Joseph
Haydn and, particularly, J. C. Bach, whose Op. 6 No. 6 even contains some
similar turns.
Karl Böhm was universally acclaimed for his Mozart interpretations. Though
Wagner was one of Böhm's first loves, his friendship with Richard Strauss
led to a deep knowledge and appreciation of Mozart. In his autobiography,
Böhm wrote that "Richard Strauss revealed to me the ultimate secrets of
this, in my opinion, greatest of all musical geniuses, Mozart." Filmed in
Vienna's splendid "Musikvereinssaal", this work is interpreted by the
Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, the orchestra with which Böhm made many of
his finest recordings.
The DVD is also released within the complete "Mozart / Böhm" DVD package which is available in selected stores worldwide and through Amazon or JPC.