Few symphonies capture the range of human emotions packed into the five movements of Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and area audiences will have the rare opportunity to experience this masterpiece live in concert when the Midcoast Symphony Orchestra performs it for two nights only.

The concerts are at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 16, at the Donald M. Gay Performing Arts Center in Auburn, and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, May 17, at the Orion Performing Arts Center in Topsham. Tickets are $27 in advance and $30 at the door, with free admission to anyone 25 and under, and can be reserved at midcoastsymphony.org or by calling the box office at 207-481-0790.

This weekend, audiences will not only see more musicians on stage than ever before, but they will also hear vocal soloists Roselin Osser and Jessica Kenlan, along with a choir in the last movement directed by Bowdoin College professor Dr. Zen Kuriyama. There are several offstage musicians in the final movement, which Mahler uses for dramatic effect.

Inspired in part by a collection of folktales, poems, songs and the funeral of his friend and fellow composer Hans von Bülow, Mahler took seven years beginning in 1888 to compose his masterful Symphony No. 2. Beginning with the explosive cello and bass theme and continuing through powerful horn sections, the first movement often feels like funeral rites, and Mahler himself suggested it was written initially to represent the laying to rest of the protagonist of his first symphony. Subsequent movements lighten the mood and add some vocals before the climactic “fight” movement and its unforgettable choral finale. The final movement also features offstage horns and percussion to add to the dramatic effect. Due to these unique qualities, attending this concert offers audience members an experience unlike most concerts, and many consider Mahler’s second symphony to be one of those pieces everyone should witness in person at least once in their lives.

As part of its ongoing educational and outreach series “More with Midcoast,” the MSO offers audiences a chance to learn more about what happens at rehearsal when Kuriyama presents “Choral Music in Performance.” Attendees at this event preceding the Sunday matinee concert at the Orion Performing Arts Center will receive insights into how a chorus prepares to work with an orchestra on a piece like Mahler’s second symphony. Seating at this free event is first come, first served, and no latecomers will be admitted.

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