How many lives can one actually experience and endure in just 34 years? The French-Jewish philosopher and mystic Simone Weil underwent numerous biographical transformations. She participated in the Spanish Civil War, worked in a refugee camp, in a factory, and as a teacher, always in search of new insights, truths, and wisdoms. The Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, who passed away in 2023, created the oratorio "La Passion de Simone" in collaboration with the French-Lebanese author Amin Maalouf based on this real-life inspiration. It premiered on November 26, 2006, at the Jugendstiltheater Vienna. Drawing on the forms of Bach's passions, Saariaho has crafted a very special, tension-filled score, which Christian Karlsen has now rehearsed for the Cologne Opera. Friederike Blum is responsible for the staging.