Unanimously received at its premiere, theSymphony No. 2is one of Mahler's most frequently performed symphonies, which he conducted more than any other of his works. From the initial funeral march to the liberating and radiant finale, the moods alternate between the simplicity of the Viennese laendler and the bohemian burlesque expression of the viola announcing ultimate joy in the brief and luminous Urlicht. These five movements capped by a final chorus follow in the footsteps of Beethoven in expressing the questions of any person in the face of death and subsequent resurrection. Christoph Eschenbach has often conducted this symphony, to which he infuses great dramatic intensity.