Conducted by Aziz Shokhakimov, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg presents a rare work by Camille Saint-Saëns: the Oratorio de Noël. Composed in 1858 when the composer was just 23 years old, this cantata-like work is rarely performed on stage, making its performance quite unprecedented.

Guercœur, the knight and a freedom fighter, meets with an early death and ends up in heaven. But his soul is unable to rest and begs to be returned to earth. At the Opéra national du Rhin, Stéphane Degout plays the title role under the direction of Ingo Metzmacher, while Christof Loy’s staging explores the boundaries between the two worlds.