Rose, a prisoner who is about to be released, and who we later learn is also a victim: her intermittent presence runs through the entire work. Her child, a schoolgirl who is waiting for her outside the prison and would so much like to make up for lost time … and Violette, the mother of a murdered teenager: she is also waiting, but this time to enter the prison and meet a criminal: it is she who leads the Restorative Justice experiment at the heart of this oratorio, an encounter without forgiveness or forgetting, which will perhaps bring more truth, in the post-trial period, this time now with no other way out than the words exchanged.
The first version premiered in spring 2016 at the Collège des Bernardins. The work was subsequently extensively revised for spring 2020, but could not be performed because of the pandemic.
Difficulty rating: moderate (pieces for young singers and actresses) to difficult (vocal and instrumental parts for professionals).
Victims and their families, inmates and their families, Yamina Zoutat, Michel Azama, David Dumortier, Thierry Machuel
French
1 adult actress, 1 young actress (secondary school pupil) or a small group, 1 young singer (secondary school pupil) or a small group, 1 light soprano, 2 lyric sopranos, 1 contralto, SATB mixed choir, saxophone, 2 accordions, cymbalum, viola and piano
Duration : 100 minutes,
48 sequences out of which 4 for young singers and instrumental accompaniment : On a attendu, Rose, Un oranger, Maman … and 4 for young actresses/actors also with instrumental accompaniment : Courir courir, Je cherche dans ma mémoire, C’est un récit, Ce qu’il aura fallu de temps
List of sequences : Ouverture, Un cri, Courage, Jusqu’à ton nom (Parole contre l’oubli n°9), Ma compagne, J’avais une vie de rêve (Parole contre l’oubli n°2), Intermède 1, J’étais seule dans la maison (Les lessiveuses scène 2), Mon corps, Ces années, La cloche, Intermède 2, On a attendu, Mon fils mon amour (Les lessiveuses, chanson de la scène 3), intermèdes 3 et 4, Maximum de linge autorisé (Les lessiveuses scène 2), Intermède 5, J’irai vendredi matin (Les lessiveuses scène 10), Intermède 6 (Les lessiveuses, scène 11), D’abord (Les lessiveuses scène 12), Intermède 7, Mon fils on dirait (Les lessiveuses scène 13), intermèdes 8, 9 et 10, Ces âmes nos âmes (Parole contre l’oubli n°6), J’avais quinze ans, Courir courir, Intermède 11, Je cherche dans ma mémoire, C’est un récit, Intermède 12, Rose, Avec mon mari, Seul ici (Les parloirs, Acte 4, Choral du sans-ami), Alors j’y suis allée, Intermède 13, Toi, Dans le chaos, Va, Ce qu’il aura fallu de temps, Un oranger, Intermède 14, Je lui ai acheté (Les lessiveuses scène 15), Maman, Intermède 15, Chanson finale (Frêles comme les herbes)