La Voix humaine, L’Heure espagnole and Der fliegende Holländer on OperaVision

Stuck abroad I am, and opera houses shuttered. What to do?

Over the past month I watched three operas on OperaVision (on YouTube) that were all unusual and very interesting.

La Voix humaine by Poulenc. It's a one act - one soprano opera. Kudos to Opera Zuid's creativity in rehearsing, staging and broadcasting during lock down. Talar Dekrmanjian as Elle was amazing, carrying the story and drama all on her own with just a few props. The austere colours from the orchestra (scored for a chamber orchestra) further heightened the edgy story.

L’Heure espagnole was in the second half of this double bill. Romie Estèves was Concepción - capturing sexual frustration perfectly. The orchestra did a fine job in bringing out the nuances from Ravel's score.

I have seen many productions of Der fliegende Holländer, but this was the first time where a real ship was on set and the stage was physically at the dock side. Almas Švilpa sang the title role with torment and hope, Sandra Janušaitė's Senta was innocent yet edgy. The most amazing was that the stage was on the waterfront in Klaipeda - no need for backdrop! You could even see ships going past. I could imagine there were challenges galore - amplification was needed (as it was outdoors), slippery stage with water chucking down, and impossible sight-lines for the singers.

There is still time to catch these productions. Hope you enjoy them as much as I did.

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