Gustav Mahler completed his Symphony No. 2, Resurrection, in 1894.
Mahler began the symphony in 1888, initially conceiving its first movement as a separate symphonic poem called Totenfeier. He later expanded the work into a large-scale symphony dealing with death, resurrection, and spiritual renewal.
The completed score includes five movements and requires a large orchestra, organ, mixed chorus, and vocal soloists. Mahler added the fourth movement, “Urlicht,” and the choral finale during the work’s development. The final movement sets words associated with Friedrich Klopstock’s resurrection hymn, supplemented by Mahler.
The symphony was not premiered all at once immediately after completion. Mahler conducted the first three movements in 1895, while the complete work received its first performance in Berlin on 13 December 1895. The nickname “Resurrection” refers to its choral finale, not to a separate later composition.