FRANZ SCHUBERT

On January 31, 1816 Franz Schubert, the Austrian composer dubbed “the King of Songs”, celebrated his nineteenth birthday. That year has been extremely productive for the talented young man. He wrote about 200 different compositions, which today are considered to be, perhaps, the best works of his entire output.

Schubert completed his Symphony No. 5 in B flat major, D. 485 in October, 1816. It is a completely different work from his dramatic Fourth (Tragic) Symphony. In the Fifth Symphony, the composer seemed to break free from the established standards of Beethoven’s symphonism and paid tribute to the older masters of classical era: Haydn and Mozart. Schubert particularly admired the latter. While working on the Fifth Symphony, the composer wrote in his diary: “O Mozart! Immortal Mozart! What countless impressions of a brighter, better life hast thou stamped upon our souls.” He transferred his high regard for the genius of music to this symphonic score. For example, the line-up of the orchestra corresponds to the first version (without clarinets)​​ of Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550. One also detects similarities between the second movement of the Fifth Symphony (Andante con moto) and the themes of the third movement (Tempo di Menuetto) of Mozart’s Sonata for Violin in F major, K. 377.

The work, full of pulsating drive, elegant lightness and refined grace, is performed by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Philipp Chizhevsky, the conductor of the  State Academic Symphony Capella of Russia.