SYMPHONY No. 2 “RESURRECTION”

Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, called “Resurrection”, is an immense fresco composed between 1888 and 1894. The monumental style and the force of its message combine existential angst, Christian faith in the resurrection and celebration of nature.

This piece of music is famous for its 4^th movement, Urlicht (Primal Light), a sublime song of solemn and timeless character. The composer demanded the opera singer to sing it “like a child in paradise”. The finale finds its true light in the resurrection choir singing eight lines of verse by the Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock completed by the hand of Mahler himself.

In line with Beethoven’s 9^th Symphony, it has become one of the most popular works in the symphonic repertoire.