La Voix Humaine
- Date: Friday 7 December 2018, 13:05 – 13:55
- Location: Music
- Cost: Free
One act opera by Francis Poulenc performed by soprano Lorna James (current Chorus member of Opera North), with musical direction by Chris Pelly and stage direction by Emma Black (both Leeds alumni).
Lorna James (soprano) | Christopher Pelly (piano) | Emma Black (director)
La Voix Humaine follows the plight of an unnamed Parisian woman (Elle) as she desperately tries to contact her former lover in the aftermath of their recent breakup. During their fragmented conversations, secrets are revealed and the past is relived, before culminating in a devastating conclusion.
The opera explores the tension between what we feel and what we say, and seeks to shed some light on the flawed nature of human communication despite continuing advances in technology. Based on the 1930 Jean Cocteau play of the same name, the opera was written in 1959, and its themes about technology, communication and heartbreak are still as relevant today as they were when it was first written.
Location: Clothworkers Centenary Concert Hall