Luxembourg Philharmonic / Wiener Singakademie / Sokhiev

With his Second Symphony, Gustav Mahler broke boundaries and posed the big questions of life: Why do we live and suffer – and what remains? He wrestled intensively with such thoughts, especially during his time as an opera conductor in Hamburg. The symphony composed between 1888 and 1894, known as the »Resurrection Symphony«, reflects this existential quest in a monumental form and impressive force of sound. The first movement, originally called »Totenfeier«, was already completed in 1888; and the remaining movements followed in 1893/94. Mahler had the idea for the redemptive finale in 1894 during the funeral service for Hans von Bülow in St Michael's Church. At the same time, he worked on the songs from »Des Knaben Wunderhorn«, from which he incorporated »Urlicht« and »Des Antonius von Padua Fischpredigt« into the symphony. From the sombre funeral march at the beginning, the work – leads in the spirit of »Per aspera ad astra« – to a powerful resurrection finale based on texts by Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock. The complete premiere took place on 13 December 1895 in Berlin under Mahler's direction. While the response was initially reserved, the Second is now one of his most highly regarded works.