In her directorial debut, the great opera diva Sonora Vaice reveals the diverse and rich inner world of a woman by combining two one-act operas into a single story. In Giancarlo Menotti’s opera “Telephone”, the “happiness” and misery of technology, in the form of the home telephone, are revealed in a light and comic spirit. The Voice of Man by Francis Poulenc, Jean Cocteau is more existentially poignant – both humorous and deeply philosophical, revealing the expressive world of women’s feelings, longings and thoughts, and encouraging reflection on the values and meaning of life.
Giancarlo Menotti’s opera The Telephone was written in the mid-20th century, when technology in the form of the telephone was entering more and more homes and becoming an exciting activity for housewives. The light and comic story’s protagonist, Lucia, is so busy talking on the phone that she fails to notice her fiancé, who has come to marry her. After several hours of hopeless waiting, he has no choice but to go to the phone booth and propose over the phone.
And the heroine of Francis Poulenc – Jean Cocteau’s opera “The Voice of Man” is already dead, but she doesn’t realise it yet… She stands on a beam of light and talks to parts of her soul. This conversation is an analysis of her life, a memory of life, of moments of happiness in Paris, Versailles, London, reliving the moment when the heroine came face to face with the betrayal of her lover and best friend, Marta. In a deeply painful monologue, she begs for time to change her life, to make amends for her bitter mistakes, but it turns out that this is no longer possible. She realises that life is to be lived when it is given, and lovingly accepts what she has been given in this earthly life by walking through a tunnel of light.
The visual concept of the production was created by multimedia artist Ineta Sipunova; the costumes, stage environment and multimedia video projections will complement the interplay of soloist Sonora Vaice, baritone Nauris Indzers and virtual characters on stage with a parallel cinematic story, creating a rich revelation of the emotional world of women.
The multimedia mono-opera “The Human Voice. Telephone” has received the highest Latvian state award in music – the Great Music Award 2021, in the category “Production of the Year”, directed by Sonora Vaice, hosted by the Operetta Theatre.
