A leading voice in the Hungarian avant-garde, Peter Eötvös saw his works, especially in the operatic genre, performed internationally. He was also a conductor who performed much new music of his own and by other composers. For several years, Eötvös worked as director of the Budapest Comedy Theater and wrote utilitarian music such as film scores. Eötvös' first major compositions, such as Harakiri, appeared during this period, and he began to integrate contemporary electronics into his music. In 1993, he made his recording debut as a conductor, leading the Ensemble Modern on an album of song cycles by György Kurtág. He conducted music of his own on recordings, as on a 2000 release of his Chinese Opera and other works with the Klangforum Wien. Eötvös died in Budapest on March 24, 2024. As of the mid-2020s, more than 65 of his compositions had been recorded.