Symphony # 40 in G (K550)(sc&pts)

Description

Symphony in g minor, K. 550
Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
For Woodwind Quintet
Arranged by Joachim Linckelmann
Published by Barenreiter
Includes score and parts

Instrumentation:
Flute, Oboe, Bb Clarinet, Horn in F, and Bassoon

Preface:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's Symphony in G minor, K. 550, now appears in a version for woodwind quintet that makes this work available to music enthusiasts in a small ensemble. As Mozart himself is known to have rewritten some of his string pieces for winds, it is not surprising that this arrangement for woodwind quintet sounds so natural that it might easily pass for an original composition. Once again, the five instruments open up a great variety of colors and combinations as well as a wide range of dynamics. Mozart completed his symphony in 1788. Of his more than 50 symphonies, only two were written in the minor mode, the other one likewise being in G minor (K. 183). The question of whether this key had special significance for the composer may be safely left to musicologists to answer, although a glimpse at the opening scene of Don Giovanni, Constanze's “Traurigkeit” area from Abduction from the Seraglio and Pamina's “Ach ich fühl's” from The Magic Flute certainly lends weigth to this conclusion.
 – Joachim Linckelmann
(translated by J. Bradford Robinson)