Although Glière's Symphony No. 2 has never attained the popularity of his Third (subtitled "Ill'ya Muromets"), it is nevertheless one of the composer's more important works. Cast in four large movements, it exudes Glière's characteristic Russian style and conservative expressive language.

The first movement is marked Allegro pesante and opens dramatically with an epic theme of absolute Russian character, played at a more deliberate tempo than the marking would normally suggest. A passionate, almost Rachmaninovian alternate theme provides ample contrast amid the surrounding muscular, heroic, and more animated music. The development section builds to a dramatic climax, and the return of the main theme near the close adds to the epic sweep of the movement, despite the quiet ending.

The ensuing Scherzo, marked Allegro giocoso, is playful and lively in its outer sections, Romantic and mostly relaxed in its central Trio. As in the other movements, Glière's masterful scoring here enhances the colorful Russian character of the music. The Andante third movement is a theme and variations, the main theme richly Romantic, sounding like a mixture of Borodin and Rachmaninov. The variations that fill out the movement contrast moods—the lively and colorful with the soaring and passionate, the playful and fleet with the serenely beautiful.

The finale, marked Allegro vivace, may contain the most Russian-sounding music of all: the chipper folkish main theme, driving rhythms, and active tambourine, along with the composer's deft orchestration, impart a strong sense of both Russian fantasy (not unlike some of Rimsky-Korsakov's more colorful scores) and peasant festivity. The brief middle section features an exotic melody related to the main theme; it is followed by music even more celebratory than that heard at the outset. Soon, however, the mood develops a more epic character and the alternate theme appears in a stately, heroic guise to triumphantly crown the work.

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