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On April 18, the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra presented their season finale concert of Gustav Mahler’s 2nd Symphony, “Resurrection.” The orchestra was led by Benjamin Zander featured soprano Miah Persson and mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly. Zander, Persson, and Connolly recorded the same symphony with the London Philharmonia Orchestra and Chorus in 2013; it was a joy to see all artists reuniting for one of the crown jewels of the symphonic repertoire.

To preface this magnificent closeout to their season, Zander brought on Marina Mahler, founder of the Mahler Foundation and one of the grandchildren of Gustav and Alma Mahler, to deliver an opening address to the audience. Alluding to Zander’s artistic ethos of exploring the possibilities in classical music, she reaffirmed the work’s significance as an ode to the possibility, needed now more than ever in a world riven by strife. A poignant beginning to the evening, her words contextualized the symphony in a newfound light and emphasized the power of music to heal in troubled times.

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From the opening of the first movement, it was apparent that Zander was at home in the music. He finessed the strings’ dynamic presence throughout the movement, from the stormy opening theme to the warm intermezzo-like sections. The first movement, originally conceived as a tone poem entitled “Todtenfeier” (“Funeral Rites”), is the second-longest movement in the entire symphony, only eclipsed by the final movement. Zander was remarkably sensitive to the movement’s ebbs and flows. The brass and woodwinds carried the majestically sombre atmosphere well, and the orchestra leaned into the tragic chromaticism of unison segments to convey Mahler’s mood of fateful impossibility.

The second movement was a drastic change in mood, a soothing balm to the guttural dissonances and ruggedness of the first movement. Zander observed the common performance practice of a five-minute pause between the first and second movements, creating sufficient distance between the disparate sound worlds of the two movements. Almost reminiscent of the Classical era in its contours but with its signature Mahlerian drama, its powerful tempo changes were led powerfully by Zander. In the less lyrical sections, the strings did not always sound cohesive, but overall, the movement was a pleasant respite from the troubling preceding movement.

The third movement followed ceremoniously, taking the form of a wry scherzo inspired by Saint Anthony’s preaching to the fish. The dry resonances of the string section’s col legno were appreciable, adding to the folkish feel of the movement. In a refreshingly whimsical moment, Zander led this movement seamlessly into the fourth, quieting the frolicking waters into an otherworldly stillness.

Connolly, a long-time collaborator of Zander’s, displayed a beautiful warm tone, perfectly consistent throughout all registers of her voice. She clearly conveyed the emotional trajectory of the movement — entitled “Urlicht,” or “Primal Light” — from dejection, longing, and awakening to ecstasy, before finally reaching transfiguration. She dialogued beautifully with the orchestra in the middle section, especially in its reduced chamber setting with violin solos and lighter orchestration.

After this brief glimpse of otherworldly beauty, the fifth movement all but shattered that illusion with its terrifying opening. The first half of the movement, consisting of episodic moments by the orchestra, was executed authoritatively, from the blaring offstage trumpets and horns to the climactic percussion crescendi.

The second half of the movement, beginning with the chorus entrance, was almost imperceptible; Zander’s unusual decision to have the chorus seated even at this point added to the illusion of the lyrics materializing from the ether. While highly unconventional performance practice, this acoustic phantasmagoria was highly effective in reinforcing the meaning of the text, entitled “Auferstehung” or “Resurrection.”

Zander’s decision to have Persson begin her solo far upstage with the rest of the chorus, however, was perhaps not the most effective acoustically, making her a little difficult to hear. Nevertheless, she eventually moved center stage to join Connolly for the joyous section of the text, her supple golden tone a perfect complement to Connolly’s mezzo. The chorus finally arose with barely five minutes left until the end of the movement on the triumphant declaration “O Schmerz!” — a proclamation of being wrested from pain. Here, Zander’s dramatic intervention in the chorus was breathtaking, and he sustained this intense intention throughout the rest of the movement. The climax at the end of the choral part was particularly breathtaking. Time seemed to stop before coalescing into an ecstatic end to the evening.

As a whole, the symphony was magnificently handled: Zander, a seasoned artist and educator, truly gave a performance of Mahler’s transcendental work to remember.

—Staff writer Lara R. Tan can be reached at lara.tan@thecrimson.com.