Boston Philharmonic to Perform Mahler's Symphony No. 2 on Good Friday

The Boston Philharmonic Orchestra (BPO) brings its 2024-25 season to a powerful and spiritually uplifting conclusion with Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”), performed on Good Friday, April 18, at 8:00 PM at Symphony Hall in Boston. The evening begins with Conductor Benjamin Zander’s popular “Guide to the Music” at 6:45 PM. For those unable to attend in person, the performance will be live streamed for free on the Boston Philharmonic’s YouTube channel.

The concert reunites Swedish soprano Miah Persson and British mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly with Conductor Benjamin Zander for the first time since their Grammy-nominated recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 with London’s famed Philharmonia Orchestra in 2013. The soloists will be joined by Chorus Pro Musica, under the direction of Jamie Kirsch, adding a powerful choral dimension to Mahler’s transcendent masterpiece.

The performance marks the culmination of the BPO’s 2025 Mahler series, following Symphony No. 4 on February 16 and Symphony No. 6 on March 2. The presentation of three demanding Mahler symphonies in Boston within a two-month period underscores Zander’s enduring passion and unflagging energy at age 86. The Good Friday performance of the “Resurrection” Symphony reflects the work’s themes of renewal and redemption, serving as a fitting finale to the BPO’s 46th season.

Since her operatic debut as Susanna Le nozze di Figaro in 1998, Swedish soprano Miah Persson has distinguished herself as one of the world’s principal Mozart interpreters. She has graced the stages of the Royal Opera House, Metropolitan Opera, Teatro alla Scala, Wiener Staatsoper, and more. Her concert collaborations have included performances with esteemed conductors such as Zubin Mehta and Vladimir Jurowski. This season’s highlights include performances of Strauss’s Four Last Songs with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestra Sinfonica Siciliana, as well as concert performances at the Marschallin with the Tokyo Symphony Orchestra and Mahler’s Symphony No. 4 with the Aalborg Symphony Orchestra. She was appointed Hovsångerska (Court Singer) by H.M. the King of Sweden in 2011.

Dame Sarah Connolly, one of today’s most celebrated Mahler interpreters, captivated audiences in 2022 with her performance of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde with the BPO, sublimely demonstrating the poignancy that she brings to Mahler's music. Her illustrious career spans performances at The Metropolitan Opera, Royal Opera House, Paris Opera, and La Scala, and leading festivals such as Salzburg and Tanglewood. Highlights in her 2024/25 season include: Auntie in a new production of Peter Grimes for the Welsh National Opera; Dido in a concert performance of Dido & Aeneas in Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw; and Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius with the BBC Symphony Orchestra/Sakari Oramo. Sarah was appointed a DBE (Dame of the British Empire, having previously been awarded a Commander of the British Empire) in 2017 and was awarded The King’s Medal for Music in 2023 for her outstanding contributions to the musical life of the UK. In 2020 she was made an Honorary Member of the Royal Philharmonic Society in recognition of her outstanding services to music.

Individual tickets range from $32 to $125; student tickets are $12 with code STU-DIS or with ID at the Symphony Hall box office. Order at www.bostonphil.org or by calling 617-236-0999. A free live stream is available at www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG5QyqdhdRw; an edited recording will be available later. View ricket policies at www.bostonphil.org/concerts/ticket-policies.