Lux Æterna Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Ars Brunensis Choir, Budapest Scoring Orchestra, Zelter String Quartet & Anna Schubert

• Todd Mason (b. 1957): Lux Æterna:
• 1 Mason: Lux Æterna: I. Requiem dona eis 04:19
• 2 Mason: Lux Æterna: II. Kyrie eleison 03:39
• 3 Mason: Lux Æterna: III. In Paradisum 03:32
• 4 Mason: Lux Æterna: IV. Lux Æternam 05:04
• 5 Mason: Lux Æterna: V. Kyrie eleison 03:47
• 6 Mason: Lux Æterna: VI. In Paradisum 01:42
• String Quartet No. 3:
• 7 Mason: String Quartet No. 3: A Hero's Journey 15:26
• City of Angels:
• 8 Mason: City of Angels: I. Restless City (Pensive) 06:44
• 9 Mason: City of Angels: II. Dream City (Expressive) 05:40
• 10 Mason: City of Angels: III. Irrepressible City (Festive and Fast!) 03:48
• When You Are Near:
• 11 Mason: When You Are Near 04:48
• Total Runtime 58:29

Info zu Lux Æterna

Todd Mason's album Lux Æterna, also including his String Quartet No. 3, City of Angels and When You are Near, on Friday 26 September 2025. The performers are the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra and Ars Brunensis Choir conducted by Pavel Šnajdr, Budapest Scoring Orchestra conducted by Peter Illényi, Zelter String Quartet and soprano Anna Schubert with conductor Zoltán Pad.

"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 soToddSingers 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. Part of the traditional text that I did include is the Kyrie eleison, which simply means “Lord have mercy” — mercy on the departed. But I also see this as having mercy on those left behind — those that endured great burdens and sorrows." (Todd Mason)

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.” (Todd Mason)

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.

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.

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
Pavel Šnajdr, conductor
Ars Brunensis Choir
Dan Kalousek, choir director
Jana Vondrů, soprano
Aneta Podracká Bendová, mezzo-soprano

Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
Since its earliest days, Filharmonie Brno has established a profile as a Janáčkian orchestra, thus making a substantial contribution to the cultural life of Brno – where Leoš Janáček composed nearly his entire oeuvre – and becoming an enthusiastic champion of his music. Since its foundation in 1956, the orchestra has regularly performed Janáček’s works in concerts at home and abroad; it has also recorded, multiple times, his complete symphonic works and cantatas.

In its home city, the orchestra offers a rich and trailblazing concert season. Major symphony concerts take place at the Janáček Theatre; the chamber repertoire is performed at the Neo-renaissance hall of the Besední dům, which serves as the orchestra’s headquarters. The Filharmonie also holds the Špilberk International Music Festival every summer, performing in the historical courtyard of Brno’s Špilberk Castle, in the city’s churches and elsewhere.

In its homeland, Filharmonie Brno is a regular participant at major festivals, including Prague Spring, Moravian Autumn, Smetana’s Litomyšl and the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival. The orchestra is a frequent guest at prestigious venues abroad; during the 2022/2023 season, for instance, it will tour the United Kingdom and USA.

Pavel Šnajdr
(born in 1975) studied composition and conducting at the Janáček Academy of Music and Performing Arts in Brno.

He was a member of the composers’ society Bezmocná hrstka (Helpless Handful) and his works have earned him two awards in the Generation competition. Keenly interested in performing contemporary music, he and the Brno-based ensemble Ars incognita have premiered approximately 40 pieces by present-day composers, some of which have been recorded on CD. In 2001 the ensemble gave an independent concert at the Prague Spring festival and in 2005 within the Prague Premieres festival at the Rudolfinum.

He has collaborated with the Prague Radio Symphony Orchestra, Brno Philharmonic Orchestra, Malta Philharmonic Orchestra, North Bohemia Philharmonic Orchestra Teplice and the Hradec Králové Philharmonic, and on two occasions conducted concerts at the Music Forum festival in Hradec Králové.

From 2001 to 2008, Pavel Šnajdr was engaged at the J. K. Tyl Theatre in Plzeň, where besides the operatic repertoire he also performed music for productions of both classical and modern ballet works (the world premiere of The Garden, based on Jiří Trnka’s eponymous book, to Zbyněk Matějů’s music).

Between 2004 and 2007 he worked at the National Theatre in Brno, with which he toured Japan with a production of Rimsky-Korsakov’s opera Mozart and Salieri; at the present time, he is engaged in Brno again.

In the 2007/08 season, Pavel Šnajdr was invited to work as a guest at the Stage Opera Prague, in April 2008 he prepared the music and conducted the world premiere of Malásek and Vaculík’s ballet The Phantom of the Opera. In the 2008/09 season he received a permanent engagement at the State Opera Prague as conductor of ballet performances. In the 2011/12 season he served as chief conductor of the Opera of the Moravian Theatre in Olomouc.

In 2011, Šnajdr established the BCO – Brno Contemporary Orchestra, which mainly focuses on performing contemporary music. with the BCO he has already performed more than a hundred concerts as part of individual concert series, but also as part of international festivals such as Prague Spring, Janáček Brno, Exposition of New Music, Easter Festival of Spiritual Hubda, Moravian Autumn, Malta Arts Festival, Festival of Polish Music in Krakow.

They are also very often approached to record contemporary music, regularly collaborating with the American record label Parma Recordings, where they also released their debut album with the new My Country after Bedřich Smetana.

He has recently established himself very well in recording contemporary classical music and has made many recordings not only with his ensemble BCO, but also with the Brno Philharmonic and SOČR.

Todd Mason
a Los Angeles native, received his master's in Composition from The Juilliard School, studying with David Diamond, Peter Mennin, and Elliott Carter. Mason received the Rodgers & Hammerstein Juilliard Scholarship, Juilliard's Marion Freschl Award for a composition for voice and orchestra, first place in the National Federation of Music Clubs composition contest, first place in the Lancaster Summer Arts Festival, the ASCAP Young Composers award, presented by Aaron Copland. And he recently won first place in the American String Teachers Association 75th Anniversary composition contest.

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.

Booklet für Lux Æterna