Few modern Hungarian composers have had their works played abroad more often than Zsolt Durkó (1934-1997), whose sole opera, Moses, constitutes an important chapter in the history of Hungarian music. The three-act work, written to a libretto based on Imre Madách's The Tragedy of Man and excerpts from the Bible, was premiered at the Hungarian State Opera House on 15 May 1977. Boasting superb orchestral passages, this opera presents its title character as an uncompromising hero drawn into conflict with his flighty and indecisive people. The composer's comments on the work clearly place the clash between individual and collective identity at the heart of the plot.
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