Mahler’s Second Symphony: “Resurrection”

Continuing her exploration of Mahler’s symphonic masterpieces, Chief Conductor Marin Alsop leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a powerful performance of Mahler’s awe-inspiring Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”). A monumental work that grapples with themes of mortality, redemption, and the afterlife, Mahler’s Second Symphony unfolds as a dramatic journey from darkness to transcendent light.

For this sweeping, otherworldly work, Alsop reunites with the Chicago Symphony Chorus and two exceptional alumnae of Ravinia’s Steans Institute: soprano Janai Brugger and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke. Praised for her “steely core” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Brugger brings radiant clarity and expressive depth to Mahler’s soaring vocal lines. Cooke, known for her “pure and powerful … dusky tone” (Minnesota Star Tribune), lends her warm, resonant voice to the symphony’s hauntingly beautiful “Urlicht” movement, a moment of profound stillness and spiritual contemplation.