Ego sum pastor bonus sets the antiphon from the Gospel of John (Jn 10:11,14) for divided mixed choir. The text — Ego sum pastor bonus, alleluia, et cognosco oves meas, alleluia, et cognoscunt me meae, alleluia (I am the good shepherd, alleluia, I know my sheep, alleluia, and mine know me, alleluia) — reveals the fundamental structural principle of the work: the alleluia enters after each textual unit as a counterweight, creating a balance between proclamation and joy.
The textual passages are marked by colourful and carefully emphasised word-setting, where each word carries its own weight and light, while the alleluia becomes a space of pure musical freedom — where the music expands and reaches its fullness. Through the repetition of this cycle, the material is gradually refined, arriving in its most natural form only in the concluding dialogue between sopranos and choir.
At the heart of the work lies a sense of directness and joy in the Christian way of life: the image of the good shepherd speaks to both father and priest, each in their own way caring for those entrusted to them.