Adriana Mater is the second opera by the Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho, with a libretto in French by her frequent collaborator, Amin Maalouf.
It received its world premiere at the Opéra Bastille on 3 April 2006 in a production directed by Peter Sellars.
[2] Maalouf utilised his memories of being a war correspondent and his awareness of contemporary political and religious conflicts as themes in the opera.
Adriana, her son Yonas and her sister Refka are caught in the midst of civil war.
Years ago, Tsargo, a soldier from their village, raped the young Adriana, and Yonas was born despite Refka's efforts to prevent her sister having the child.