| Symphony No. 2 | |
|---|---|
| by Leevi Madetoja | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Leevi_Madetoja_1920.jpg) The composer (c. 1920) | |
| Key | E-flat major |
| Opus | 35 |
| Composed | 1916–1918 |
| Dedication | Anna Madetoja (Leevi's mother) |
| Duration | Approx. 42 minutes |
| Movements | 4 |
| Premiere | |
| Date | 17 December 1918 |
| Location | Helsinki, Finland |
| Conductor | Robert Kajanus |
| Performers | Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra |
The Symphony No. 2 in E-flat major, Op. 35, is a four-movement orchestral composition by the Finnish composer Leevi Madetoja, who wrote the piece from 1916–18 immediately following the success of his First Symphony (1916). Composed during the Finnish Civil War, the Second stands as "the most significant musical document" of the conflict and finds its composer, "deeply scarred by the experience", reflecting upon national tragedy and personal loss (his brother, Yrjö, and close friend, Toivo Kuula, both perished during the hostilities). Accordingly, Madetoja's Second is the longest and most dramatic of his three essays in the form and, perhaps for this reason, is the most popular of the set.
Robert Kajanus and the Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra premiered the work in Helsinki, Finland on 17 December 1918. The critics received the premiere enthusiastically and, thus, the new piece firmly established Madetoja as the vanguard of Finnish music. In 1934, Madetoja (retroactively) dedicated the symphony to his late mother.