The emotional turmoil surrounding the death of Christ, as dramatically depicted in the Fifth Responsory for Good Friday, has inspired many choral composers. For his setting of
Tenebrae factae sunt, Miškinis delivers a dramatic narrative. Particularly effective are the lamenting chords for ‘Deus meus’ and, following the angular and chromatic ‘ut quid me dereliquisti’, the serenity of ‘Et inclinato capite, emisit spiritum’. The piece begins and ends in a shroud of darkness weighed down with murky, tonally ambiguous chords.
from notes by Rupert Gough © 2010
