Three women, three mothers. Two madnesses: the madness of the mother and the madness of the prison. The sons, long-sentenced prisoners, whom we don’t see but around whom the whole work revolves. We meet them in front of the prison gate or outside, in a launderette, where the machines turn relentlessly: from dirt to cleanness, then back to the prison, then …
The recording below was made live at the Collège des Bernardins in 2016. With the 2e2m ensemble and the Territoires du souffle ensemble conducted by Pierre Roullier. Vocalists Caroline Chassany, Esther Labourdette, Roula Safar.
The excerpts are often cut at the beginning and end.
Difficulty rating: difficult to very difficult
Yamina Zoutat, based on the words of inmates’ mothers
French
3 female voices (SA) and 1 actress (A), saxophone and two accordions
Duration :60 mins
Detailed cycle : scenes 1 to 15: Overture, Scene 1 (L’hiver est là), Interlude 1, Scene 2 (Maximum de linge), Scene 3 (Il est arrivé), Scene 4 (Il aime pas les plis), Scene 5 (Laissez-moi entrer), Scene 6 (L’ampoule encore cassée), Scene 7 (Mais non, c’est du noir !), Scene 8 (Ah mon loup), Scene 9 (Avec mon fils), Scene 10 (J’irai vendredi matin), Scene 11 (intrumental), Scene 12 (D’abord on t’appellera), Interlude 2, Scene 13 (Mon fils), Scene 14 (Ben alors ?), Scene 15 (Je lui ai acheté)