The string section of an orchestra on stage mid-performance, all wearing black, with bows raised.

Mozart’s Last Symphonies

  • Classical Music
  • Australian Chamber Orchestra
  • Concert Hall
  • 120 minutes, including interval Subject to change
  • Suitable for all ages
  • Seating map

Experience one of the greatest chamber orchestras in the world at its joyous and inspirational best

The late symphonies of Mozart are a touchstone for extraordinary musicians and experiencing the Australian Chamber Orchestra perform them is an unforgettable experience. Richard Tognetti played the last three symphonies in his first year as Artistic Director of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and he returns to them often because they are works that only grow with each interpretation. 

For six weeks in the summer of 1788, Mozart wrote in a fit of obsessive inspiration. With no commission or concert in mind, he composed without fear or favour, driven only by a personal fire to create. The result was a jubilant family of three symphonies that pull together all of Mozart’s powers of invention, complexity and refined melodic writing. Three years later, he was gone, and the symphonies have taken on a mythic quality. We’ll never know if Mozart perceived his early death and set out to create a startling legacy. We don’t know if he ever heard them performed. 

No.39 is a stately, gentle masterpiece. No.40 is a profound, almost Romantic symphony that looks ahead to a new era. No.41, the Jupiter Symphony, is a heroic and surprising full stop on a career that changed the face of music forever. Its finale is one of the pinnacles of human creation. 

Under Tognetti’s direction, the Australian Chamber Orchestra, joined by wind and brass players on instruments from the time of Mozart, will perform the last three symphonies. This promises to be a highlight of the year.

Presented by the Australian Chamber Orchestra

Event details

Program

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Symphony No.39 in E-flat major, K.543 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Symphony No.40 in G minor, K.550 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 
Symphony No.41 in C major, K.551 “Jupiter”

Artists

Richard Tognetti 
Director & Violin

Australian Chamber Orchestra

Season 2026

Australian Chamber Orchestra

The Australian Chamber Orchestra is one of the most acclaimed chamber orchestras in the world. Led by their pioneering Artistic Director Richard Tognetti, the Orchestra is defined by its exceptional virtuosity and an irrepressible sense of adventure and curiosity.

Explore the season
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Attending this event

Plan your visit

Address

Sydney Opera House
Bennelong Point
Sydney NSW 2000
Australia

Getting to the venue

The Opera House is a 7-10 minute walk from Circular Quay, and is easily accessible by car, train, ferry, lightrail, bus, bike and on foot.

Location and access

Concert Hall

The Concert Hall is located beneath the largest of Sydney Opera House’s roof sails, filling the upper levels of the west side of the building. Best accessed through the covered concourse. 

All Sydney Opera House foyers are accessible, with lifts to the main and western foyers. The public lift to all foyers is accessible from the corridor near the escalators on the Lower Concourse and also in the Western Foyer via the corridor on the Ground Level (at the top of the escalators).

Location map

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