Symphony No. 2 (Mahler)

Symphony No. 2
Resurrection Symphony
by Gustav Mahler
Mahler in 1892
Key	C minor – E-flat major
Text	"Urlicht" from Des Knaben Wunderhorn "Die Auferstehung" by Klopstock Gustav Mahler
Language	German
Composed	1888–1894
Published	1897 (1897) (Friedrich Hofmeister Musikverlag)
Recorded	1924 (1924) Oskar Fried, Berlin State Opera Orchestra
Duration	80–90 min
Movements	5
Scoring	2 voices (Soprano and Alto) mixed choir (SATB) orchestra
Premiere
Date	13 December 1895 (1895-12-13)
Location	Berlin
Conductor	Gustav Mahler
Performers	Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

The Symphony No. 2 in C minor, also called the Resurrection Symphony, is a piece of orchestral music by Gustav Mahler. The composer wrote the symphony in 1888 and 1894, and it was one of his most known works while he was alive.^[1]

The symphony was first played on 4 March 1895 with Mahler conducting the Berlin Philharmonic, but only the first three movements were played.^[2] The whole symphony was first played by the same conductor and orchestra on 13 December 1895.^[3]

The symphony is sometimes called C minor-E♭ major, such as in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.^[4]

The symphony is was written for a large orchestra, with:

The score also calls for a ‘Fernorchester’ – a second small orchestra outside the concert hall.^[5]

The symphony has five parts, also called movements. They are:

Other sources

• Steinberg, Michael (1995). The Symphony. New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-506177-2.

• Vernon, David (2022). Beauty and Sadness: Mahler's 11 Symphonies. Edinburgh: Candle Row Press. ISBN 978-1739659905.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Symphony No. 2 (Mahler).

• Symphony No. 2: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Classical Notes
• "Mahler's Second: The Story within the Symphony", WQXR Radio, 18 February 2012