An essential and moving performance that is the must-see piece of this year’s festival! When writer Amin Maalouf and the formidable Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho come together, the result can be nothing other than a masterpiece! This Passion de Simone, a subtitled musical trajectory, in fifteen stations, explores the life and career of Simone Weil (1909-1943), a French humanist philosopher. It offers a rich reflection on human oppression, and contains all the elements of immersive, sensitive musical theatre, both emotional and thought-provoking. Created in 2006 in a grand symphonic form in Vienna, directed by Peter Sellars, the composer created a more intimate version for the company known as La Chambre aux Échos—the work’s initial creators—with a highly acclaimed stage design by Aleksi Barrière. The work has been met with tremendous critical and public acclaim across Europe, and the Opéra de Reims is delighted to be able to present it as part of the 2025 FARaway Festival programme.