Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, M. Bosch
The distinguished German conductor, Marcus Bosch, comes to Verona's Teatro Filarmonico for some Gustav Mahler concerts featuring his ever-popular Symphony No. 7. Performed by the Orchestra of the Fondazione Arena di Verona, Mahler's Seventh Symphony is known as a masterpiece of the symphonic traditions and among the composer's most mature works. Sometimes referred to by its nickname – Song of the Night (Lied der Nacht in Mahler's mother tongue of German) – this symphony has a complex harmonic structure which has enraptured audiences ever since it was first performed in Prague on 19 September 1908.
Composed over the course of 1904 and 1905, Mahler wrote his seventh symphonic work at a lakeside retreat in Maiernigg, Austria. While completing Symphony No. 6, he sketched two movements for his next symphony and created a format which would involve three others. Although the Seventh Symphony is often designated as being in E minor, the first movement opens in B minor before shifting to its home key. The second movement, one that was part of Mahler's original sketches, shifts between C major and C minor while the third movement, a scherzo, is in D major. The fourth movement, a reflection on the second, is in F major. This part of the music, like the second movement, is designated as Nachtmusik, or music of the night. A rondo provides the finale in the symphony’s fifth movement which, despite some dissonance here and there, is best described as being scored in C major.
With such a highly developed tonal structure, Mahler's Symphony No. 7 was perhaps ahead of its time when it was unleashed on the concert-going public. Initial reception at its premiere and a follow-up performance in Munich was muted. However, its popularity has grown over the ensuing decades. As musical tastes in the twentieth century, in particular, were more welcoming to strident harmonic structures, the work's reputation grew and grew.
Modern audiences tend to be less struck by the symphony's harmonies these days, but the orchestration choices Mahler made are still considered novel. As well as strings, brass and woodwinds, the score is orchestrated for a guitar and a mandolin. Alongside timpani, the symphony calls for plenty of other percussion instruments including a tam-tam, a glockenspiel, cowbells and a triangle.
With Brazilian and Italian roots, Marcus Bosch is an established conductor who has performed all over the world. Among other accomplishments, he is the Chief Conductor of the Norddeutsche Philharmonie in Rostock. These performances of Mahler's Symphony No. 7 at Verona's Teatro Filarmonico offer the ideal opportunity to witness him in action.