The Search for Redemption and Eternal Life Mahler did not give his symphony the “Resurrection” subtitle, but the theme was present from the work's inception—so present that he even initially considered including a narrative program around the vicissitudes of life and death.

Of the work, Finnish conductor and highly-acclaimed interpreter of Sibelius, Osmo Vänskä, explained its significance. “The second symphony is connected with our nation's fight for independence, but it is also about the struggle, crisis and turning-point in the life of an individual,” Vänskä said.

An elaborate, extended musical composition for full orchestra, typically in four movements, at least one of which is traditionally in sonata form.

A symphony is a large-scale musical composition, usually with three or four movements. An orchestra is a group of musicians with a variety of instruments, which usually includes the violin family.