There is an undercurrent of night about the spooky third movement; while \u201cScherzo\u201d means \u201cjoke\u201d, this movement is remarkably spooky and even grim. If the first \u2018Nachtmusik\u2019 possessed a friendly mood disguised in grotesqueries, this movement is a demon sneering at the listener. This movement is a most morbid and sarcastic mockery of the Viennese waltz.
The movement begins with a strange gesture: a pianissimo dialogue between timpani and pizzicato basses and cellos with sardonic interjections from the winds. After some buildup, the orchestra sets off on a threatening waltz, complete with unearthly woodwind shrieks and ghostly shimmerings from the basses, with a recurring \u201clamenting\u201d theme in the woodwinds.
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A listening guide of Symphony No. 7 - 3rd Movement with Lew Smoley.