Very leisurely. Never hurry. Two sections alternate in this idyllic movement, so different in style, atmosphere and scale from the first that Mahler specified their separation by a few minutes’ pause. The first section is a graceful ländler in the major, the second a triplet theme in the minor. Mahler was particularly proud of the cello countermelody that accompanies the principal theme’s second exposition.

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A listening guide of Symphony No. 2 - 2nd Movement with Lew Smoley.