United Kingdom Poulenc, La voix humaine: Mary McCabe (soprano), David Quigley (piano), Cameron Menzies (director), Linda Britten (robe design). Throne Room, Hillsborough Castle, Hillsborough, 11.2.2023. (RB)
This was the inaugural live performance in Northern Ireland Opera’s new Salon Series. Over the subsequent two months the corporate will probably be presenting a collection of semi-staged works all through the province. The collection will embody works from quite a lot of musical genres together with opera, music theatre, artwork tune, lieder and classics from the Great American tune e book. Each of the works will probably be introduced in celebrated buildings all through Northern Ireland.
The first live performance befell within the throne room of Hillsborough Castle, which is the official residence of King Charles III and different members of the royal household in Northern Ireland. This was maybe probably the most opulent setting for an opera or classical live performance I’ve been to, and it was a pleasure to hearken to such tremendous music in these luxurious environment. The viewers have been serenaded by the harpist, Richard Allen, previous to the beginning of the opera.
Poulenc’s La voix humaine is a one-act opera for soprano and orchestra. The work is predicated on a play by Jean Cocteau who labored intently with the composer previous to the work’s premiere in 1959. It was prompt that the work would make an important showcase for Maria Callas however ultimately, Poulenc determined to solid his pal Denise Duval within the function. The composer knew that Duval had a stormy love life and he shared her habit to tranquillisers and sleeping tablets. The libretto consists of a lady’s final telephone dialog together with her lover, who now loves another person. During the decision the girl reveals that she has tried suicide as a result of her lover has deserted her.
Poulenc’s unique rating is for voice and piano, however he then orchestrated it for full symphony orchestra. Poulenc didn’t sanction public performances of the opera within the model with piano accompaniment throughout his lifetime. However, his niece subsequently gave dispensation to Felicity Lott and Graham Johnson to document this model and reside performances have elevated in frequency since then.
Cameron Menzies supplied minimal staging and props for this efficiency. The soprano Mary McCabe was decked out in a tremendous robe, courtesy of Linda Britten, and I used to be happy to see that she inhabited the function, bearing her soul for all to see and mentally disintegrating earlier than our eyes. McCabe is clearly a superb French speaker: her diction was superlative all through. Every single phrase was delivered with crystalline readability, whether or not it was in a pianissimo whisper or in a howl of emotion. The pacing of the music was first-rate as she navigated her method from Poulenc’s declamatory recitative to his languid heady lyricism and extra anguished outbursts. She captured effectively the spiky edgy high quality of the recitative and he or she introduced a luminous restraint to the lyrical reflections. McCabe was spectacular throughout the entire span of her tonal register, producing thrilling excessive notes and wealthy colors from the underside of the register. This was a extremely spectacular efficiency of a demanding monologue.
David Quigley did a superb job accompanying McCabe all through. He had clearly thought of Poulenc’s use of orchestral color very rigorously and he coaxed hanging sonorities from the piano. He was very attentive to rhythm and maintained a superb stability and dialogue with McCabe.
Overall, this live performance featured extremely spectacular singing and enjoying and was an auspicious begin to Northern Ireland Opera’s Salon Series.
Robert Beattie