Francis Poulenc
's
La Voix Humaine
("
The Human Voice
") is a one-woman opera, less than an hour long, about a woman on the phone with her boyfriend as they break up. Set to a text by
Jean Cocteau
, it puts the woman through strong mood swings. (Country music fans may wish to compare it to
As Soon as I Hang Up the Phone
, although there, the boyfriend is present to deliver the final blow.) Soprano
Veronique Gens
is best known for music from the 17th century up to
Mozart
, but it is easy to believe the claim in the publicity materials for this release that she had always wanted to record this work; its direct, conversational quality, interspersed with occasional freakouts, fits her manner beautifully. It might seem that those freakouts require a bit more intensity than
Gens
gives them here, but that is not really in the
Cocteau
spirit and certainly not in the
Poulenc
spirit.
receives sensitive support from the
Orchestre National de Lille
under
Alexandre Bloch
, who also ring down the curtain with a lithe performance of the joyous
Sinfonietta
. There are other strong performances of
's little opera, which ought to be much more frequently heard and would be ideal for university voice programs, but this one is instantly appealing and quite memorable, and it is no surprise that it made classical best-seller charts in early 2023. ~ James Manheim