Mahler’s "Seventh" encapsulates his symphonic cosmos in all its diversity: it contains waltzes and marches, chorales and ringing bells, and above all a sense of rousing jubilation. In short, it is an intoxicating delight for all the senses! In its more bizarre moments, however, the symphony also leads us into the realm of misfortune and loss with its faltering funeral march at the beginning and its demonic dance macabre during the scherzo. Yet before the doom-laden atmosphere can come into full fruition, two serenade-like "Nachtmusiken" sing of nature’s consolations.
Mahler, then employed as court opera director in Vienna, worked on the "Symphony No. 7" during his vacation at Lake Wörthersee in the summers of 1904 and 1905. Mahler himself described the symphony as his best work – though this initially did little to boost its public popularity. It was not until 1908 that it was performed for the first time in Prague, directed by the composer himself. It gained popularity later under the new title "Song of the Night".