Mendelssohn wrote his Second Symphony or Lobgesang (‘Hymn of Praise’) in 1840, to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Gutenberg’s invention of movable type. This symphony-cantata, as the composer termed it, is duly permeated with a rich and often jubilant spirit, and patterned after Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony in its solo vocal and large choral forces. The rich orchestral palette is supplemented by thrilling and expressive vocal writing, which includes solos and duets of great beauty, and culminates in a blazing fugal ending.