Faithful to its mission of making the great works of our time accessible to all, the fiftieth La Bâtie Festival pays tribute to Robert Wilson, one year after his passing. Across visual art, theatre and opera, the American artist forever transformed the rules of the game, reshaping the way we look at both the world around us and ourselves. Entering Wilson’s universe means first abandoning any desire for immediate understanding, and instead surrendering to a deeper sensitivity, allowing beauty to emerge: the kind that moves and binds us to the world.

One of the final works he directed draws its creative force from the polymorphous poetry of Fernando Pessoa. Like a magical mirror, PESSOA – Since I’ve Been Me illuminates every nuance of Wilson’s singular aesthetic: his mastery of stagecraft, his playfulness, absolute freedom and boundless imagination. The richness of Pessoa’s writing, and that of his many heteronyms, is embodied by seven talented performers, including Maria de Medeiros. Musical theatre, cabaret, poetic introspection and philosophical reverie collide in a work whose emotional force feels even more powerful today. “I know not what tomorrow will bring”: the final sentence written by the Portuguese poet on his hospital bed, spoken here in voice-over by Bob Wilson himself, will resonate in our minds forever.