Franz Schubert wrote his Symphony no. 2 in B flat major, D. 125, between 1814-15. The product of a brilliant 17-year-old, this symphony, while not a masterwork to rank with the Beethoven works it emulated, is nevertheless a quite remarkable effort. Cast in four movements, it is already decidedly grander in scale and outlook than the Symphony no. 1. The opening movement of the Symphony no. 2 begins with a brief and sunny Largo introduction, after which the vigorous Allegro vivace main theme is presented by scurrying strings. The music here effervesces and brims with energy in its rising trajectory and seeming skyward flight, but soon a playful, comparatively serene melody is presented to offer brilliant contrast. The two themes are then developed imaginatively, and following a reprise, the movement ends with the same sunny, energetic character that predominated throughout.
