Stanisław Moniuszko’s music is filled with patriotic character and songful lyricism, and of his numerous operas he is perhaps best remembered for Halka (8.660485-86) and The Haunted Manor (8.111391-92). With his reputation as ‘the father of Polish national opera’ firmly established, Paria was his final completed opera. The tragic narrative tells of the pariah Idamor, who becomes the heroic leader of an army and goes against Indian social norms in choosing Neala, the daughter of High Priest Akebar, as his bride. Although Paria was misunderstood by critics at its premiere, the moving themes of exclusion and the power of social rules now make it an opera for our times.