The sacred oratorio ‘Israelowa zrudoba a tróšt – Israel’s Mourning and Consolation’ was composed by Korla Awgust Kocor in 1861. Kocor compiled the texts for the work himself from the Holy Scriptures. His intention was to compose the oratorio in the style of Protestant church music of his time. Parts of the work, in particular orchestrated fragments, were already performed on Easter Tuesday 1862 under Kocor’s direction in the Dresden Frauenkirche. For a complete performance, an orchestration was necessary, which was prepared by the composer and Kapellmeister Stefan Malzew. The premiere of the prepared version, in which the solos in particular were shortened for pragmatic reasons, finally took place on 5 June 1994 in St. Peter’s Cathedral in Bautzen. The oratorio is divided into two parts and sets biblical texts (including Psalms, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Lamentations and Micah), which deal with the central theme of ‘Israel’s mourning and consolation’.