PDF of complete score: http://sites.google.com/site/edwardlein/Home/orchestral-music/orchestral-mp3s/LEIN-Symphony2.pdf

Symphony no. 2 "Lux aeterna" (c2008) is an orchestral reworking of four movements drawn from an eight-movement choral work, 'Missa pro defunctis' ("Mass for the Deceased"), first performed in 1991 by The Riverside Presbyterian Chancel Choir (Jacksonville, Florida) with members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

The Symphony is dedicated to victims of war and terrorism, and the third movement, 'Pie Jesu,' was rewritten with a new violin obbligato especially in memory of the gallant men and women who have given their lives in defense of our freedoms.

The first movement, Requiem aeternam dona eis (“Grant Them Eternal Rest”), is a solemn funeral march and prayer that reflects a communal sense of loss and remembrance interspersed with more personal interjections. (Duration: ca. 4:40)

The second movement, Kyrie eleison ("Lord, have mercy"), is a reflection on grief including the rage that accompanies the sense of deep loss. A snare drum colors the opening and closing sections with martial overtones not present in the choral version. Solo cello and English horn characterize the plaintive Christe eleison ("Christ, have mercy") section, which is followed by fugal development before a recapitulation of thematic material from the beginning of the movement. (Duration: ca. 5:15)

Pie Jesu ("Merciful Jesus") is the most introspective movement, and features solo oboe, piano and violin. The solo violin introduces obbligato passages not originally included in Missa pro defunctis. (Duration: ca. 3:30)

The fourth movement, Lux aeterna luceat eis ("Let eternal light shine upon them"), presents a lullaby in the form of a theme with two simple variations. The work concludes with a return of music from the opening Requiem aeternam. (Duration: ca. 4:30)