What connects Louise, the young waitress at “La Petite Bohème”, Raoul, an unscrupulous deserter, Gabriel, an upright mathematics teacher, and the mysterious Désiré, by turns spokesperson for the Ministry of Information, street singer and priest? The “phoney war” and the debacle of 1940 are experienced in different ways by each of these children of catastrophe. As their epic journey along the roads of the exodus unfolds, the past of Louise’s mother comes to light, revealing unexpected links between the characters.

Composer Hèctor Parra takes Pierre Lemaitre’s best-selling novel, Mirror of Our Sorrows, and delivers a lyrical score that blends drama and comedy. His composition draws equally on French opera of the 20^th and 21^st century and on the realist chanson of the 1930s, whose echoes can still be heard in today’s urban music.

This world premiere, commissioned by the Paris Opera, is directed by Mariame Clément, who provides this rich, choral work with a realistic setting that mirrors our own present day.