r/OldSchoolCoolMusic 10h ago

Norwegian Chamber Orchestra: “Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 — III. Menuetto Allegretto & Trio” (1788)

https://youtu.be/3ovqdRbCe40?is=C0hz-GGdz_ect_dz

A minuet was normally an elegant, courtly dance. You’d expect something refined and graceful.
Instead, Mozart makes this one sound almost angry and threatening.
The outer Menuetto is in G minor, with heavy accents and aggressive contrapuntal writing. Then suddenly:
G major.
That’s the Trio you’re looking at/listening to. It feels like someone opened a window and let sunlight into a dark room. The Trio is essentially the symphony’s one genuine oasis of calm.

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