Kaija Saariaho - La Passion de Simone
Dawn Upshaw; Finnish RSO; Tapiola Chamber Choir; Esa-Pekka Salonen
Ondine ODE 1217-5
There is no easy way to explain the mystery that was Simone Weil. A trained philosopher before women were seen as capable of comprehending philosophy, a secularized Jew who converted to Catholicism, a pacifist who sought combat in the Spanish Civil War, a left-wing thinker who put her ideas to the test by joining a factory assembly line… Add to it a martyr in her death (or was she anorexic?), an altruist living an ascetic life and a major irritant to those who believe that upholding convention is the only way to maintain social order. It is a small wonder that the composer who embarked on writing an oratorio based on the life of this incredible woman is a rebel herself – Kaija Saariaho, known to Toronto audiences through her remarkable opera Love from Afar.
This oratorio, a small and reflective work, uses the martyr scenario of Stations of the Cross to depict Weil’s life. The music is not grand by any measure, as the life depicted was contemplative and largely introverted. This is served well by the voice of Dawn Upshaw, who sounds here as Weil might have – suffering and tired. Esa-Pekka Salonen skilfully coaxes the delicate harmonies out of the tightly wound melodies, bringing his understanding of nuance to the task. Weil herself said it best: “Two powers hold sway over the universe: light and gravity.” There is an abundance of both of them here.
