Marcell Dargay, Dániel Dinyés, Balázs Futó: The Book of Job

Among the most prolific composers of their generation, Marcell Dargay, Dániel Dinyés and Balázs Futó are permanent fixtures on the Hungarian contemporary music scene and enjoy an enduring friendship and working relationship with each other. The Book of Job is the latest joint venture by this trio of composers in the genre of modern oratorio and is based on the biblical story of Job.  Marcell Dargay, Dániel Dinyés and Balázs Futó are permanent fixtures on the Hungarian contemporary music scene, and among the busiest composers of their generation, in addition to which they have had a long-standing friendship and working relationship with each other.

The Book of Job is the latest joint venture of the three composers in the genre of modern oratorio and is based on the biblical story of Job.  This fresh contemporary work takes its title from the Old Testament character Job, a righteous man who, as a godly individual, lives in happiness and wealth, but who is suddenly and unjustly struck by calamity: his life is in crisis. The story seeks to answer questions such as: Why do the righteous suffer and the wicked prosper? Where does all the trouble, suffering and misery on earth come from? And does all that dreadful stuff have a purpose or meaning to it? Is evil and injustice compatible with the existence of a good and just God?  The book of Job does not attempt to answer these questions with theoretical speculations, offering instead a dramatic narrative, embedded in the life story of Job, a patient man who is faithful to God even in his sufferings. The composition of the oratorio is a collaboration between the three composers that goes back to their years at the Academy of Music in which they worked together, gave concerts and explored for themselves the music of our era. The work they have created together here is simply one more chapter in their twenty-year friendship.