The Seventh Symphony is a key work in Henze‘s symphonic production; his confrontation with the classical- romantic tradition is particularly evident here. “Number 7 of my orchestral pieces is the one that comes closest to the model of the classical symphony”, he once stated. Until he wrote this one, Henze had not composed any symphonies for over a decade and meanwhile even admitted to the “impossibility” of “creating any more symphonies today”. This work became a great success, however, which the listener will be able to palpably experience with the help of this recording by the Gürzenich Orchestra of Cologne.