Mozart's Jupiter Symphony
- Jump to →
- What you'll hear
- All about the music
- Take a listen
Exquisite. Disconcerting. Ride a jet engine.
Who’s on stage
Pianist Stephen Hough, star of more than 50 albums and a regular at the world’s top concert halls, from Chicago to Amsterdam, joins our very own Royal Northern Sinfonia and Principal Conductor Dinis Sousa.
What they’re playing
We’re kicking off with Unsuk Chin’s disconcerting Subito con forza (suddenly with power), followed by Beethoven’s emotionally charged Piano Concerto No.3 and ending with Mozart’s mighty Symphony No. 41, Jupiter.
Price: £19 – 46
Discounts: save if you’re under 17, aged 18 – 30, a classical first timer, or a group of 10 or more people. Check the details.
Running time: 1 hour 40 minutes, including a 20 minute interval.
Age: under 14s must be accompanied by an adult.
Can’t make it along? This concert will be streamed live to YouTube
What you'll hear
Unsuk Chin Subito con forza (5’)
Ludwig van Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 3 (34’)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Symphony No. 41 ‘Jupiter’ (31’)
Who's playing
Dinis Sousa conductor
Stephen Hough piano
Royal Northern Sinfonia
What's happening in the music?
You might feel a bit… odd at the start of this concert. Subito con forza plays with the audience, containing lots of little references to Beethoven’s music but then completely turning expectations on their head. Beethoven’s piano concerto has an almost unimaginably fragile and beautiful central movement that contrasts with what is a lively jog of a last movement. Mozart didn’t have time for jogs with his Jupiter Symphony – its ending is one of the most memorable of all time, written as if it has a jet engine behind it, gathering speed and excitement all the time.
Why is it called Jupiter?
It was likely nicknamed by London based impresario Johann Peter Salomon (think of him as the Simon Cowell of his day), as a nod to the Roman God of thunder and lighting, and father of the sky, Jupiter. True to its name, the symphony has a pretty spectacular ending – it’s often been said the best of any piece of classical music. Hear for yourself why…
Hough the Record
Not content with only being an incredible pianist, Stephen Hough has also composed, writing a cello concerto, teaches at the Royal Northern College of Music and London’s Royal Academy of Music, writes for several newspapers, and also paints. He’s also managed to find a mistake in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1, working out there was a wrong note in the music that had laid unnoticed for over 100 years…
