Lux Æterna by Todd Mason
YouTube recording with the Brno Philharmonic Download Score Lux Æterna (YouTube recording with, with score)
For the devout, this work can be viewed in traditional religious terms. For others, this Requiem can be seen as allegory — a kind of poetic interpretation of loss and remembrance, and the everlasting power of love. I want this Eternal Light to represent the candle we all keep lit in our souls for those that left us too early, and others to whom we owe so much. And to remind listeners that they’re not alone — that others understand their grief. And, most important, that the departed are not really gone, but perhaps transformed, as the poet Clair Harner so beautifully wrote in her famous poem, “Immortality.” And also Mark Twain’s famous poem “Warm Summer Sun.” “I am the thousand winds that blow I am the diamond glints in snow I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle, autumn rain. Do not stand by my grave, and cry- I am not there, I did not die.” -Clair Harner.
“Warm summer sun, Shine kindly here, Warm southern wind, Blow softly here. Green sod above, Lie light, lie light. Good night, good night” -Mark Twain
This piece is roughly in 3 sections, though it plays in one continuous 22-minute movement. The opening begins with an almost atonal choral texture quickly giving way to a more traditional orchestral harmonic language albeit with a few stacked harmonies and polytonal accents. There are waves of energy that come and go with a generally solemn tone building to a highly charged Kyrie eleison (“Lord have mercy”) with full brass and contrapuntal energy. As this fades, we enter the first of the heavenly duets, signifying eternal light, between alto and soprano soloists, over the simplest of harmonic progressions. The full chorus, echoing the soloists, enters with ever building lines followed by a robust and rich orchestral response. The middle section - Libera me (“Deliver me”) emerges out of the mist with long held lines and denser, more eerie, harmonies. The opening motive of the simple rising minor third reemerges in myriad ways here as the chorus develops this section with thinner orchestral accompaniment, but with ever building energy. The closing section reprises some of the opening material but with a bit more complexity closing with the 2nd, almost hymnal, duet - the In Paradism (“The choir of angels in paradise”) - before the harp leads us to the closing chords and visions of eternal heavenly light — Lux Æterna. _______
Mason's orchestral works have recently been played by the The Sofia Philharmonic in Bulgaria, and The Brno Philharmonic in the Czech Republic. His chamber works have become increasingly popular in concert halls and music festivals around the world. His Violin Concerto is now available on Apple Music Classical & other streaming. His requiem for full orchestra and chorus, called “Lux Æterna,” is being performed in Europe and the U.S. Mason offers a popular chamber music series in his West L.A. home, showcasing leading ensembles and premiering new works. |
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I’ve always loved the great Requiems — the Mozart, Verdi, Berlioz and others.They are almost beyond mere music in their beauty and spirituality. And they give us permission: permission to remember and grieve. As a composer, I’ve always been moved by the immense power of a great choir with full orchestra but as I thought about writing my own choral work, in the Requiem tradition, I also wanted to create a new kind of interpretation. So, while my work uses much of the traditional Latin requiem text we are so used to and, crucially, that choirs around the world are so
used to singing, I decided to forgo the Dies Irae text, for example, which literally means “Days of Wrath” where the saved will be delivered and the unsaved cast into eternal flames etc. And…rather than call this work Requiem, I chose the title Lux Æterna, also within the traditional text, which means “Eternal Light.” No judgement is necessary. Just eternal light and rest for those who already suffered enough in their mortality. 
I was lucky enough to have this piece recently recorded in the beautiful Czech city of Brno, by the Brno Philharmonic and Ars Brunensis Choir. These are superb musicians with a long tradition of classical music being a cherished part of their cultural identity. The ornate philharmonic hall, where we recorded, was used by such composers as Leoš Janáček — one of my musical heroes. I felt honored to be in that magnificent room, feeling their shadows, hearing this new work come to life.
COMPOSER
Lux Æterna