A long journey through the Mongol Empire 

 Guillaume de Rubrouck, a man from Flanders with a robust constitution and a strong Christian faith to the point of espousing the theses of the Inquisition of sinister memory, but close to Louis IX, known as Saint Louis, was sent by the latter to Mongolia to spread the good word and, above all, to sound out the intentions of these conquerors of Central Asia, sons and grandsons of Genghis Khan, shrouded in mystery and feared for all they knew without knowing much about it. 
So it was as an evangelising priest and an unspoken ambassador that William set off on this long and perilous journey, flanked by an Italian colleague, Barthélémy de Crémone and assisted by an interpreter by the name of Abdallah. 
A surprise! Surprise ! Our adventurous proselytising travellers, their eyes wide open, discover unknown landscapes,
 a mosaic of mixed peoples and a range of beliefs and churches living side by side in surprising mutual tolerance Muslim mosques, Nestorian churches, Buddhist and Taoist temples. Enough to undermine the "Absolute truth" that our missionaries believed themselves to be the bearers of.

Discovering the other ... 
Discovering others who are different in terms of culture and religion, a lesson in tolerance - this is what inspired contemporary composer  François-Bernard Mâche to take this 13th century travelogue and turn it into a kind of  chamber opera for three singers and a string quartet. 
This piece of musical theatre was presented as a world premiere on the initiative of the Atelier Lyrique de Tourcoing directed by Alain Patiès. The beautifully crafted, modern instrumental composition takes us all the more easily to these distant lands and their singular musical sonorities that it is performed by a Debussy Quartet that lends itself to the game with vivacity, stage presence and a shimmer of striking sound colours.

The two missionary travellers and their interpreter, portrayed here by tenor Christophe Crapez and baritones Xavier Legasa and Paul-Alexandre Dubois are neither lacking in allure nor astute determination. But we regret that the narrative part entrusted to them is greatly disproportionate to the a cappella singing which is their natural attribute. 
One might have thought that a narrator separate from the singers would have been preferable. As for the staging the main feature is the visual projections (particularly at the beginning), a kind of act painting on a large screen 
which, combined with the highly expressive percussion of the recorded music, create a welcome change of scenery. 
The lesson of openness to others and religious freedom that emerges from the whole is a refreshingly topical one.