CANCELLED due to Coronavirus - Anne Sofie von Otter sings Saariaho

Anne Sofie von Otter sings the lead role in La passion de Simone by Finland's Kaija Saariaho; a masterpiece about oppression and powerlessness.

The fate of the working class
Oppression and the skewed balance of power between society and the individual. These are important themes in the work of philosopher and mystic Simone Weil. The Jewish Frenchwoman not only wrote about them frequently, but also put her money where her mouth was. In the 1930s, she chose the harsh existence of a factory worker to experience firsthand the fate of the working class. In 1943, barely 34 years old, she died a self-inflicted starvation death in England. Weil refused to eat more than her compatriots in occupied France.

Anne Sofie Otter in the lead role
Composer Kaija Saariaho heard an opera in her Werdegang. Or better: a musical-theatrical cross between oratorio and passion play, meditating on Weil's life and work in fifteen sublimely orchestrated stations. This Matinee concert will feature the Dutch premiere of the ensemble version. Swedish star mzzo Anne Sofie von Otter sings the solo role.