Silenci de negra

March 1947: Philippe Batelier, an important and well-known composer, is about to be appointed Director of the Paris Conservatory Orchestra when the press accuses him of collaboration with the Vichy regime during the German occupation and, especially, of having directed a concert in Paris in the presence of Goebbels, at which a romantic attempt at protest, led by his son and some of the orchestra’s musicians, ended in tragedy. The episode, however, is closed following an initial investigation, with the execution, when the war ends, of a colleague of Philippe Batellier, considered responsible for the repression as an informer. Finding out what exactly happened, and the role played by each person involved – Philippe’s young lover included – along with their motivations, will constitute the centre of the plot in a work that aims to reflect on the commitment of intellectuals and artists in a world in crisis.