Lux Aeterna – Eternal Light
Evening Music | May 6, 2010
American composer Morten Lauridsen created his “Lux aeterna” (Eternal Light) by drawing together sacred Latin sources, each containing references to light. The result is a serene yet spiritually uplifting musical experience that echoes Brahms’ “German Requiem.”
Morten Lauridsen has been Composer in residence for the Los Angeles Master Chorale since 1994; his vocal and choral works occupy a permanent place in the repertoire and are among the most performed choral anthems from the late 20th century. Tonight we’ll hear his “Lux aeterna” (Eternal Light), which he wrote for the Master Chorale (who performs it here) in 1997. “Lux aeterna” has been compared to Brahms’ masterful “German Requiem” for its majesty and sense of inner peace. In fact, just as Brahms reflected the loss he felt due to his mother’s recent death while writing his Requiem, Lauridsen suffered a similar fate when his mother passed away while he was writing “Lux aeterna” - which also served as a sort of requiem (the opening and closing passages being taken from the Requiem Mass). Powerfully emotional, full of light and dark passages, “Lux aeterna” is seemingly operatic in its exploration of an almost mystic spiritualism.
Morten Lauridsen has been Composer in residence for the Los Angeles Master Chorale since 1994; his vocal and choral works occupy a permanent place in the repertoire and are among the most performed choral anthems from the late 20th century. Tonight we’ll hear his “Lux aeterna” (Eternal Light), which he wrote for the Master Chorale (who performs it here) in 1997. “Lux aeterna” has been compared to Brahms’ masterful “German Requiem” for its majesty and sense of inner peace. In fact, just as Brahms reflected the loss he felt due to his mother’s recent death while writing his Requiem, Lauridsen suffered a similar fate when his mother passed away while he was writing “Lux aeterna” - which also served as a sort of requiem (the opening and closing passages being taken from the Requiem Mass). Powerfully emotional, full of light and dark passages, “Lux aeterna” is seemingly operatic in its exploration of an almost mystic spiritualism.
