PYGMALION

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
Symphony No. 38 in D major, K. 504 "Prague"
Concert aria "Bella mia fiamma, addio!", K. 528
Symphony No. 39 in E flat major, K. 543

Mozart’s sojourns in Prague during the final years of his life were to bring him the recognition that Vienna refused him. Amongst the grace-filled moments, were the first performance of his Symphony No. 38 offered to the Czech public after the triumph of The Marriage of Figaro, his friendship with Josepha Duschek for whom he wrote the aria « Bella mia fiamma, addio! », and of course the composition of Don Giovanni, the memory of which haunts the first movement of his Symphony No. 39. With this first part of a diptych devoted to Mozart’s last symphonies, Raphaël Pichon and his Ensemble Pygmalion reveal the intimate bond which links the composer with the Czech city.