Details

La voix humaine is a dialogue, but one in which the audience only ever hears one voice, as a woman and her lover agree to part during a single telephone conversation. Poulenc, in his most famous operatic work, creates a master piece out of the woman's growing realisation that it is all over, combined with her darkly comic frustrations with the telephone as a means of communication. While the central character of this piece is on the receiving end of a highly charged emotional break-up, she is neither passive nor pliant. While the man may have the upper hand in the romance, the strength of character, humanity and humour is definitely with the woman. New Production, Sung in French and English. Running time 45 mins no interval

Cast/Performers

Joan Rodgers (Elle)

Creatives/Company

Music: Francis Poulenc
Lyrics: Jean Cocteau
Company: Opera North
Director: Deborah Warner
Design: Tom Pye
Costume: Tom Pye
Lighting: Jean Kalman
Translation: Richard Stokes
Conductor: Paul Watkins