Program Notes: Mozart's Jupiter Symphony

In this episode, we explore Mozart’s stellar Symphony No. 41, “Jupiter.” Says The Florida Orchestra Music Director Michael Francis: “In this symphony, Mozart looks at everything in life. Then he takes you to a point where he says ‘now, let’s look at the universe.’ ’’ In Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, the soloist plays an unaccompanied cadenza for the entire third movement, while the orchestra remains silent. The concert begins with Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge, an intensely emotional work that captures Beethoven at the peak of his creative late period. The drama intensifies with the Queen of the Night’s breathtaking arias from The Magic Flute — the shimmering “Oh, don’t tremble, my dear son” and the dazzling, fearsome “Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart,” two spectacular showpieces.

Masterworks 9 of the 25/26 Season
Performances March 21 & 22, 2026