"The Way of Hope" is a work based on biblical texts, the content of which is the difficult, full of doubt, rebellion and questions about the meaning of human suffering, the path of the chosen people to the Promised Land. away from the daily torments of Egyptian bondage. It is Moses who is in dialogue with God. He communicates God's will to people. He hears warnings. He shows signs given from above that can help to follow the path of good and love, he advises on how to make the right choices. "mouth" in contacts with the people becomes Aaron, into whom another soloist transforms. But evil is more attractive and more attainable. It sparkles and can be obtained immediately, which brings joy, giving the illusion of victory. It tempts and often wins.
The tablets of the Decalogue are broken. The Golden Calf, built from material sacrifices, has no spirit. And although God is merciful and forgives, the journey extends to 40 years of wandering in the desert. For mankind for the next millennia there are ten commandments and a moral law. Can we as humanity benefit from this science? Doesn't each of us wander helplessly and err? Do we, driven into the treadmill of everyday life, not grapple with the same questions about the meaning of our own life roads and paths, on which we enter tired, resigned, tempted by easy choices of cheap trinkets?

The Overture announces a contemporary drama. It vividly brings to mind such images as Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and the World Trade Center. The dialogues with the choir conducted by the soloists and the tense solo parts introduce the content of dramatic biblical events: the oppression of Israel, the calling of Moses, the Egyptian plagues, the passage of the angel of death, the exit from Egypt, the decalogue - breaking the tables, worship of the golden calf, adopting the moral law, searching for , getting lost and rediscovering the way to the "Promised Land", the way to moral order and fulfillment of God's promises.

The author gives splendor to the original biblical texts, constantly surprising with their depth and beauty, with his excellent music. By using the variety of musical styles, it does not allow the entire piece to be dominated by the obvious, classical monumentality of the form that the Bible and the second source of creative inspiration could suggest - the moral lesson flowing to mankind from the attacks of evil, hatred and terror it experiences. Janusz Kohut goes back to the roots of Jewish music, "quotes" pastoral music, introducing to the oratorio instruments the shepherd's trombita and the white voice of Józef Brody. He also freely uses the language of music that the 20th century gave us, both in its popular version and in search of unconventional sounds (piano preparation). This musical multithreading makes the piece richer and so interesting that everyone can discover their musical fascinations in it.

The premiere of the oratorio took place in 1998 in the Church of St. Józef Robotnik in Oświęcim. It was also performed in Katowice and Bielsko-Biała. The fragments were presented in St. Peter in Rome in 2000 during the National Pilgrimage of the Great Jubilee.

Performers:
Beata Bednarz, Ewa Uryga, Józef Broda, Mieczysław Szcześniak (Jorgos Skolias)
Janusz Kohut, Radosław Kuliś, Ryszard Styła
Choir and Orchestra of the Silesian Philharmonic in Katowice
conducted by Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk