Lux aeterna: Communio II

In the first few months of 1994, Alfred Schnittke had first completed his great opera ‘Historia von D. Johann Fausten’ and then completed no fewer than ten works, including his 8th Symphony, the Symphonic Prelude, the ‘Concerto for Three’, the Hieronymus Bosch Fragments, the 3rd Violin Sonata and the 2nd Cello Sonata. And numerous other composition projects - including a cantata for the London Sinfonietta - were already waiting for him. He was obviously in a kind of creative frenzy, as if he had anticipated the approaching stroke and wanted to put as many of his musical ideas down on paper as possible in a hurry. Nevertheless, despite his workload, the composer took on the ‘Lux aeterna’ as an additional work. One can only assume that the questions of death and life after death were of deep personal significance to him, who had already suffered two strokes. The text of the Communio from the funeral liturgy, set to music by Alfred Schnittke, reads:

Eternal light shine upon them, O Lord,

by your saints for ever and ever,

for thou art good.

Lord, grant them eternal rest,

and let the eternal light shine for them
w
ith your saints for ever and ever,
for you are good.