--- product_id: 9590807 title: "Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41" brand: "nikolaus harnoncourt" price: "€ 43.66" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/9590807-mozart-symphonies-nos-39-40-and-41 store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41 **Brand:** nikolaus harnoncourt **Price:** € 43.66 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41 by nikolaus harnoncourt - **How much does it cost?** € 43.66 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/9590807-mozart-symphonies-nos-39-40-and-41) ## Best For - nikolaus harnoncourt enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted nikolaus harnoncourt brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description On THE LAST SYMPHONIES, Nikolaus Harnoncourt explores his fascinating new interpretation of the composer's last three symphonies; that they are one whole work which he calls Mozart's 'Instrumental Oratorium.' Harnoncourt argues that, in terms of structure, the first movement of Symphony No. 39 is the Prelude of the 'Instrumental Oratorium,' while the last movement of Symphony No. 41 is the Finale. THE LAST SYMPHONIES: MOZART'S INSTRUMENTAL ORATORIUM was recorded for the first time with Harnoncourt's own ensemble Concentus Musicus Wien, which he founded in 1953. ## Images ![Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81W5zRaVM0L.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the finest sets of these works *by A***M on October 4, 2014* One of the finest sets of these works. Gorgeous playing and sound, with terrific clarity and articulation. Harnoncourt makes some unusual choices in 39 and 40 that set that apart from other versions of these that you may have--and they may not be first choice--but as always with Harnoncourt, rich, invigorating, intelligent and engaging. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Four Stars *by P***N on February 22, 2017* Fantastic! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Harnoncourt Shoots the Moon *by H***K on November 18, 2015* Nikolaus Harnoncourt is a risk taker, a starry-eyed moon shooter. As an artist his blazing intensity is matched by his Teutonic attention to detail. Descended from Holy Roman Emperors, he is not meek-hearted. When he fails, he does so spectacularly; but when he succeeds, he is transcendent. In these life-affirming performances, Harnoncourt and the Concentus Musicus Wien reveal vital elements that are often hidden beneath the surface of these three great works from Mozart's "Imperial" period.About Harnoncourt's Big Idea about these last symphonies being a "single" work, I am rather dubious. Certainly we know Mozart conceived of these works as a single opus (for publishing purposes), but there really is no hard evidence that he wrote three symphonies in three different keys as a single twelve movement work. Still, K.543, 550, and 551 share many common themes and are each exemplars of Mozart's late style. It makes sense to hear them together, whether as 3 distinct works or as a single entity.However, the real value in this recording is not in Harnoncourt's novel (and likely fatuous) idea, but in the performances themselves, which are uniformly excellent. NH is known for his "rough and ready" approach to Mozart. That grittiness is on display here, but crucially it seldom devolves into mannerisms - for the most part these renditions are intensely musical. Every phrase is important to Harnoncourt, yet he never loses sight of the whole. Whether one buys into the concept of an "Instrumental Oratorium" is not really important here - in the end you still have 12 cued tracks and can listen to the entire album as a single work or as 3 distinct symphonies without any difficulty.Harnoncourt's calling cards - forward woodwinds and brass, crystal clear textures, razor sharp phrasing, and bone-rattling intensity - are all present here. There is a rollicking rhythmic quality to all three. Of the 3, I was slightly troubled by some of Harnoncourt's choices in K.543: the minuet is played way, way too fast (the trio is an earthy delight - very vividly drawn and taken at a much slower pace than the minuet), while the main exposition theme of the opening movement is afflicted with silly pauses and oddball phrasing.Those qualms aside, this disc has many highlights. The finale of K.550 is sharply drawn, fiery, and richly textured. I never fully appreciated the rich counterpoint in K.550 until I heard this stunning performance. It is a rare thing indeed for a performance to reveal so much vital detail in any well-worn Warhorse in the standard repertoire. Yet Harnoncourt does just this - in all three symphonies - occasional silliness notwithstanding. Excepting K.543, Harnoncourt's rubato always seems musical, and those oddball pauses and rests for which he has sometimes been known are mostly suppressed. As a result, most of this disc sounds natural and organic - not contrived or showy.As expected, the Jupiter is explosively climactic. All repeats are observed, which some may find tedious. In the Jupiter at least, this has the effect of adding weight and scale to the work, which Harnoncourt intends as the grand finale to the triptych. The finale of K.551 has a lot of texture and bite. The brass - on all three symphonies but in the Jupiter in particular - really gets to shine.I do have a quibble with some of Harnoncourt's tempi choices (aside from the problems mentioned above with K.543, these eccentric moments really do feel musically valid, so I am picking nits here) - the slow movement of the Jupiter, in particular, is taken rather too quickly, although Harnoncourt still mines it for all the rich string and woodwind texture imbued its composer. Oddly enough, it is the Allegro of the same symphony that is taken surprisingly slow, but Harnoncourt makes it pay off splendidly as he uses the slower tempo to reveal the propulsive bass lines and rich textural details that power this movement up to its triumphant release of brass and timpani. The finale of K.551 is epic in scale and in character - Harnoncourt's architectonic focus and his heroic spirit combine for a Jupiter finale that is mind-blowingly intense and breathtakingly detailed. All three symphonies were recorded in the Musikverein, and the world-class acoustic is captured vividly on these discs.To put it simply, this a pretty solid effort - 2 out of the 3 symphonies qualify as top shelf Mozart. While Nikolaus Harnoncourt has had a few duds in his storied career, he has also scored some truly smashing successes. This is one of them. ## Frequently Bought Together - Mozart: Symphonies Nos. 39, 40 & 41 - Beethoven Revolution: Symphonies 6 to 9 --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/9590807-mozart-symphonies-nos-39-40-and-41](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/9590807-mozart-symphonies-nos-39-40-and-41) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-09-28*