LA PASSION DE SIMONE

In the organizer's words:

How far would you go for your ideals? The French philosopher and mystic Simone Weil spent her life, which lasted only 34 years, constantly testing her personal limits. A strong will that was subject to constant failure. Born in 1909 into an upper middle-class Jewish family in France, Simone Weil initially studied philosophy at the École Normale Supérieure in Paris - the only woman alongside Simone de Beauvoir - and then worked as a teacher. However, she soon left the service to be employed as an unskilled worker in an electrical factory and experience the living conditions of the working class first-hand. However, she was physically unable to cope with the strain. Her efforts to fight on the side of the Republic in the Spanish Civil War in 1936 and to go from England to France to fight against the Germans in 1942 also failed. In solidarity with the victims of the Second World War, Simone Weil finally refused to eat and died of hunger and heart failure in 1943.
With "La passion de Simone", the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who died in 2023, created a memorial to her. The result is one of Saariaho's most personal works, who also described "La passion de Simone" as her musical testament. It is the third collaboration with the French-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf, which began with "L'amour de loin". The collaboration with the American opera director Peter Sellars, who staged the world premiere of "La passion de Simone" in November 2006 as part of his New Crowned Hope Festival in Vienna, also left its mark on this work. The oratorio for solo soprano, choir and orchestra consists of 15 stages that illuminate Simone Weil's life and thoughts. The music features Saariaho's typical impressionistic soundscapes, which are sometimes dramatically intensified by surprising explosions in the percussion. Throughout his life, Saariaho himself advocated staging the work. In cooperation with the Cologne Philharmonic's "Acht Brücken" festival, "La passion de Simone" will now be performed at the Cologne Opera. The production will be directed by newcomer Friederike Blum, who received the Götz Friedrich Prize from Deutsche Oper Berlin in 2023 for her work "Tri Sestry" at Theater Hagen. Together with set and costume designer Lise Kruse, she traces the spirit of Simone Weil and immerses us in her life and thoughts. Christian Karlsen, a specialist in modern music theater and former artistic director of the Kaija Saariaho Festival in The Hague, will conduct the production.