Furthermore, as with other contemporary Austrian composers of the end of the 20th century such as Gustav Mahler or Hans Rott,[2] his second symphony heavily uses a Brucknerian treatment of simple motifs through extensive repetition and grand orchestration.

The German musicologist Hugo Goldschmidt opined that it demonstrated "an embarrassing mismatch between intention and ability".

[3] The work is scored for a Symphony orchestra consisting of the following assemble:[1] There are four movements:[8] A typical performance lasts between 45 and 50 minutes.

From all the movements of the symphony, the second is the most outwardly Brucknerian, creating extensive textures based upon simple ostinatos.

[3] A clarinet solo establishes the key of A-flat major (the subdominant of E-flat major) which in consequence leads to an extended Beethovenian hymn-like melody for the strings:[7] After a solo violin, the second theme in the clarinets and bassoons is presented: Alike the doble variations of the slow movement of Beethoven's 9th, with these two themes established, a short set of doble variations follows.