The Symphony No. 31 in D, K. 297/300a, better known as the Paris Symphony, is one of the more famous symphonies by Mozart. It was written in 1778 and premiered that same year. The work was very popular quickly and it was published the following year. The symphony is notable for its unusually large instrumentation, scored for a large orchestra that was available to Mozart during his time in Paris: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in A, 2 bassoons, 2 horns, 2 trumpets, timpani, and strings. It was Mozart's first symphony to use clarinets. The first movement opens with a rising and accelerating D major scale in an effect known at the time as the Mannheim Rocket. The early version of the second movement still exists.
