18.02.2023

PATRICIA PETIBON with La Voix Humaine in Strasbourg

La Voix Humaine:  a woman tries to get hold of her lover, but this evening the telephone line is playing up. Between unspoken words and the platitudes exchanged about the day, another story unfolds beneath the surface. A painful, unresolved break-up and an unhappy existence are compounded by an overwhelming need for affection. A beautifully banal story that conveys the voice of wounded humanity.

A touching and avant-gardist monologue by Jean Cocteau, The Human Voice was elevated to the ranks of tragic opera by musical genius Francis Poulenc. There are few singers who can trace the psychology of a woman better than Patricia Petibon. She assumes the challenging role of the lone protagonist, ably assisted by conductor Ariane Matiakh. The realistic setting created by director Katie Mitchell has her trademark poetic precision that brings a fresh cinematographic epilogue to this drama accompanied by a commanding symphony from Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir, where past memories and an alternative reality are interwoven in a tale of impossible reminiscence.

Francis Poulenc: La Voix Humaine
Patricia Petibon, Elle
Ariane Matiakh, artistic direction
Katie Mitchell, stage direction
Alex Eales, stage
Sussie Juhlin-Wallén, costumes
Bethany Gupwell, light
Grant Gee, video
Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg