Paying homage to the life of Simone Weil, staunch supporter of the impoverished working classes, with opera – today viewed as one of the most bourgeois of art forms – might seem initially like an odd decision. But the French philosopher, mystic and political activist was actually a passionate fan of opera and classical music. In a letter written from Florence in 1937, Weil shared her delight in a performance of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, writing that the “conducting was beyond all praise”, before later raving about Bach, Monteverdi and Rossini.
Kaija Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone – which premiered in 2006 in a staging by Peter Sellars and is now available to watch in its revised chamber opera format on OperaVision – is specifically inspired by one of the composers Weil so strongly admired during her Italian trip. Taking its lead from Bach’s Passions, and the passion play tradition more generally, Saariaho’s collaboration with the librettist Amin Maalouf comprises 15 stations, each focusing on a different aspect of Weil’s extra- ordinary life and output.
Content from our partners
