Sister Angelica & Human Voice

By Giacomo Puccini / Francis Poulenc

In this exciting pair of Seattle Opera premieres two very different composers explore the fates of women who must come to grips with grave disappointment. In Poulenc’s sensual, captivating 40-minute monodrama, a desperate woman is shunned by her lover over the telephone and stumbles through a minefield of emotions towards an unknown fate. In Puccini’s sentimental one act, a noble-born woman who has joined a convent is disowned by her family, takes poison in despair, and miraculously passes into a state of grace.

Sister Angelica (Suor Angelica)
Music by Giacomo Puccini
In Italian with English Captions

The Human Voice (La Voix Humaine)
Music by Francis Poulenc
In French with English Captions
Approximate Running Time: 2 hours, 25 minutes, with 1 intermission at McCaw Hall

Audio described performance for visually impaired patrons available on Sunday, May 12. Description begins 10 minutes prior to the beginning of the matinee
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Features

Artists

About the Cast

In this double-bill of Seattle Opera premieres, Nuccia Focile takes on the emotional monologue of La Voix Humaine, and Maria Gavrilova makes her company debut as Suor Angelica.

Photos

A Visual Tour

View photos of leads Nuccia Focile and Maria Gavrilova, as well as mezzo-soprano Rosalind Plowright, who sings the role of the Princess in Suor Angelica.

Synopsis

What’s Going On?

In Poulenc’s La Voix Humaine, a relationship disintegrates over the course of one epic phone call, while Puccini’s Suor Angelica explores the despair and ultimate salvation of a woman forced to give up her illegitimate son and become a nun.

Video

One Woman's Voice

Returning favorite Nuccia Focile discusses the distinctiveness of Poulenc's heavenly music; how "the human voice" must carefully convey the monodrama's many emotions; and the importance of connecting with a sympathetic conductor in order to successfully navigate the musical and psychological tour-de-force. Includes clips of Ms. Focile's previous Seattle Opera appearances.

Video

Speight's Corner

General Director Speight Jenkins sits down with British stage legend Rosalind Plowright to discuss her illustrious career, including turns in Puccini’s Suor Angelica as both the title character and her aristocratic aunt.

Video

Director's Talk

Director Bernard Uzan (Carmen, Pagliacci, Attila) discusses the unique challenges of staging Poulenc’s tour-de-force monodrama; and how the heartfelt music of Puccini’s one-act touches everyone who hears it. Includes footage of singers in rehearsal.

Banner Photo Credit
© Tristram Kenton