The second of Schubert's symphonies in C major, labelled "The Great" (as opposed to the "little" Sixth Symphony of 1818) is the composer's last symphonic production. It is not, however, a late work, although the first page of the manuscript bears the indication "March 1828". Schubert's Ninth Symphony is, in fact, the work he wrote in 1825 during a summer stay in Gmunden (Upper Austria). The composer had made reference to a symphony in his correspondence on several occasion, but no score had been found. The manuscript was actually among the documents which Ferdinand Schubert had kept after brother's death. Schumann laid hands on the Symphony in C major while going through this precious heritage. The piece had as yet never been performed in public, the Vienna Society of Music Friends having decided that the work was too long and difficult to play! Thanks to Schumann, the symphony was finally premiered (albeit with a few cuts!) in Leipzig on 21 March 1839, with Mendelssohn at the head of the Gewandhaus Orchestra. After Breitkopf & Härtel had published the work in 1840, Schumann wrote a laudatory article in which he highlighted the "heavenly length" of this highly original symphony. The piece constitutes the pinnacle of Schubert's efforts in the field of the symphony, against which he had long struggled. The composer himself was very satisfied with this final symphony in C major, a key that corresponds to an optimistic vision of the world in Schubert's production. "How refreshing is this feeling of overflowing wealth" confirmed Schumann in his lines devoted to this "Great" Symphony D. 944.