Symphony No. 2, known as ‘Die Auferstehung’ (‘The Resurrection’), was written between 1888 and 1894 and first performed in 1895. It became one of Mahler's most popular and successful works during his lifetime and was his first major work that established his lifelong view of the beauty of afterlife and resurrection.
Mahler completed what would become the first movement of the symphony in 1888 as a single-movement symphonic poem called ‘Todtenfeier’ (‘Funeral Rites’). He wavered five years on whether to make ‘Todtenfeier’ the opening movement of a symphony, although his manuscript does label it as a symphony.
Commissioned by 'Sophia's Vereeniging Loon op Zand' in the Netherlands, dutch arranger Jos van de Braak transcribed this first movement of the 2nd Symphony for Symphonic Band.
Voor Nederland: eerste uitvoering in Nederland is voorbehouden aan 'Sophia's Vereeniging Loon op Zand' in het voorjaar van 2022.