Labelle, a composer from Réunion island, joins forces with stage director Lucie Berelowitsch to create an innovative work that brings together electronic music, orchestral sound, maloya, lyrical singing, and theatre.
Héva, a science-fiction opera, delves into the profound dialectic of the human–machine relationship through the fable of a servant android integrated into an institution.
Following her encounter with one of the institution’s students, she discovers her ability to create; her creations lead her to a growing awareness of herself, her thoughts, her condition as a machine, and ultimately to claim her freedom and her rights.
The first operatic work by Réunionese composer Labelle, Héva is performed by the ensemble Orchestre Univers under the baton of Laurent Goossaert, blending classical music with electronic sounds and Réunionese and Indonesian percussion.
Héva (a reference to the legendary runaway slave from Réunion island) tells the societal and philosophical struggle of an android, inviting us to reflect on what defines us as human beings.
Text: Sébastien Julliard
