Levente Gyöngyösi

Amicus meus

Tenebrae Responsoria, Feria Quinta (Responsories for Maundy Thursday) is a cycle of nine choral works commissioned by the Cantemus Mixed Choir of Nyíregyháza and its conductor, Soma Szabó. Each movement may also be performed independently.

In the Catholic liturgy, Maundy Thursday forms part of the Easter Triduum and commemorates the Last Supper and the betrayal of Jesus Christ. Its remarkably poetic, emotionally intense, and deeply moving texts invite the faithful to experience the Passion, to enter into the perspectives of Christ, Judas, and the disciples, and to deepen their own faith.

Amicus meus (''My Friend''), the fourth movement of the cycle, focuses on Judas's self-torment and the devastating guilt he feels after his betrayal. A persistently recurring motif portrays his psychological descent, culminating in his suicide.

The work is recommended for professional and advanced amateur children's and women's choirs.