Program
Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)
Symphony №2 in C Minor (Resurrection Symphony) for soprano, alto, mixed choir and orchestra (1888–1894)
Allegro maestoso
Andante moderato
In ruhig fließender Bewegung | With quietly flowing movement
Urlicht. Sehr feierlich, aber schlicht | “Primal Light”. Very solemn, but simple
Im Tempo des Scherzos | In the tempo of the scherzo
The musicAeterna Orchestra
Conductor — Teodor Currentzis
Details
Gustav Mahler’s Symphony №2, often referred to as ‘The Resurrection Symphony’, begins with a funeral. The composer wrote its first movement back in 1888 as a continuation of the Symphony №1: ‘I called the first movement “Todtenfeier” (Funeral Rites)…It is the hero of my D major symphony that I bear to his grave… Here too the question is asked: What did you live for? Why did you suffer? Is it all only a vast terrifying joke?’ The creation of the full five-part cycle took seven years. The composer explained the harmonious programme more than once in letters and even published it in the annotation to one of the performances of the symphony, but later withdrew it from public circulation. Meanwhile, the author’s instruction remained in the score, demanding that the titanic first movement be separated from all the rest by a five-minute gap of silence.