About the work
Osud (Destiny) is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by the schoolteacher Fedora Bartošová. Janáček composed the work between 1903 and 1907, but it was never performed during his lifetime; the staged premiere did not take place until 25 October 1958 in Brno.
Plot
The composer Živný and his former lover Míla meet again after years apart and discover they have a child together. Their attempt at a new beginning ends in tragedy when Míla's mentally ill mother drags them both to their deaths.
Cultural significance
Janáček found the inspiration for Osud in 1903 at the spa town of Luhačovice, from a woman who recognised herself in another composer's opera; as one of only two Janáček works premiered posthumously, Osud remains rarely performed because of its unusual libretto.