The Reyk­javík Op­era Days 2025: La Voix Hu­maine

La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice, 1959) is a one-act opera by the French composer Francis Poulenc, with a libretto by Jean Cocteau. The work revolves around a single-sided telephone conversation between the woman Elle and her former lover. The entire story unfolds through this one conversation, which becomes a psychological mirror, allowing the audience to explore the nuances of their relationship through humor, despair, self-deception, and grief.

The opera is written for soprano and orchestra or piano and will be performed by soprano Kristín Einarsdóttir Mäntylä and pianist Eva Þyri Hilmarsdóttir, under the direction of Sigríður Ásta Olgeirsdóttir. The performance is in French, with an Icelandic translation by Kristján Þórðar Hrafnsson projected above the stage.

Duration: 45 minutes