For some overshadowed by the Sixth (‘Tragic’), for others drowned out – almost literally – by the next monumental vocal-instrumental ‘Symphony of a Thousand’, Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 7 in E minor was consequently described as an ‘intermezzo’ in the composer’s oeuvre, or even a ‘Cinderella’. Happily, after decades of scorn, the work was recognised as princess material and ranked among the boldest symphonic experiments (or even provocations) of the early twentieth century. After the logical arrangement and clear dramatic structure of the Sixth Symphony (written, incidentally, at the same time as some movements of the Seventh), the composer presented listeners, critics and scholars with a work that defied all expectations, and was also quite cheerful, which did not fit the stereotypical psychological portrait of the melancholic composer. The unusual layout and form of the successive movements, the rich instrumentation and, finally, the return to the night motif that was widely explored in the nineteenth century (two movements were titled Nachtmusik) afforded scope for discussion of the work’s inspirations and hidden programme. The symphony was written in 1904–1905, during summer sojourns in the mountains, and first performed three years later in Prague, during the diamond jubilee celebrations of Emperor Franz Joseph I. It was received very warmly, and the composer himself considered it his best work.
