Symphony No. 2 (Zemlinsky)

The Symphony in B flat major is an orchestral work by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinsky.

[1] The work was composed in 1897 for submission to the Beethoven Prize, a competition initiated and partially funded by Johannes Brahms.

[2] Both works were given their first performance on 5 March 1899 with the respective composers conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

[2] Zemlinsky scholar Antony Beaumont has drawn attention to the use of a falling fifth as a unifying motif throughout the work.

The work is scored for an orchestra of: two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons, four horns, two trumpets, three trombones, tuba, timpani, and strings.