Kent Nagano conducts Mahler: Symphony No. 7

Composed between 1904 and 1905, the Symphony No. 7 in B Minor, "Lied der Nacht" is a work that reminds by some aspects of Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 5. Indeed, these two symphonies seem to follow the same teleological path: starting with a dark first movement written in a Minor key, they both finish with an exultant Major mode. This progression towards ever more brightness in the Symphony No. 7 bears witness of a certain optimism that can be related to Mahler's recent recognition as one of the most important composers of his time, and with his daughter's birth at the time of composition. Premiered in 1908, this particularly rich symphony confused nonetheless the audience by its fusion, iconic of Mahler's style, between high and popular forms of art. If nowadays the Symphony No. 7 is perhaps the less performed of Mahler's symphonies, this work shows brilliantly the composer's musical creativity and orchestral originality.

The Wiener Konzerthaus, inaugurated in 1913, hosts this performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 7 in B Minor, "Lied der Nacht" by the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal under the baton of the American conductor Kent Nagano.

Picture: © Felix Broede