The work is based on the opera-monodrama of the same name (2008), dedicated to the life of the Marquise Emilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), an outstanding French mathematician and physicist.
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The work is based on the opera-monodrama of the same name (2008), dedicated to the life of the Marquise Emilie du Châtelet (1706-1749), an outstanding French mathematician and physicist.
The suite is a condensed version of the opera, in which Saariaho retained the atmosphere of the original but excluded the electronic effects typical of the full production.
The piece consists of five parts - three vocal numbers separated by two orchestral interludes:
1. Pressentiments - Emily writes a letter to her lover, tormented by the fear of dying in childbirth.
2. Interlude I.
3. Principia - dedicated to her scientific work on the translation of Newton`s `Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy`.
4. Interlude II.
5. Contre l`oubli (Against oblivion) ​​- the final monologue about a woman`s struggle for a place in history and science.

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