“La Voix humaine,” the cries and anguish of a forsaken woman
By Michel Schroeder
“Dear readers of our good old Zeitung, it was with great emotion that we attended the performance of La Voix humaine at the Ariston in Esch-sur-Alzette, so that we could tell you about it. We were deeply impressed by Maria Devitzaki, vocals, Rhiannon Morgan, choreography and dance, and Konstantinos Diminiakis, piano.
This moving work, written by French composer Francis Poulenc based on Jean Cocteau’s play, continues to fascinate with its dramatic intensity, nearly a century after its creation. A unique work in the operatic repertoire, La Voix humaine is based on a minimalist device. On stage, a woman on the telephone is confronted with a breakup. Her interlocutor, invisible, exists only through silences, line cuts, and his responses, which we can only guess at. This is an immense challenge for the performer, who must carry the dramatic tension of the evening. In the version we applauded at the Ariston, directed by Maria Devitzaki and Rhiannon Morgan, a second character supports the rejected lover in a way. In our case, it is choreographer and dancer Rhiannon Morgan.
The drama is even more pronounced and better emphasized in this admirable version. In the Cocteau/Poulenc version, the abandoned woman is most often portrayed as a simple, wounded lover who constantly demeans herself for a man who is clearly uninterested in her. Maria and Rhiannon decided to reverse this perspective. The soprano’s voice and the dancer’s body combine to reveal the inner struggle of a vulnerable but resilient woman.
From the very first minutes, the audience was struck by the fragility of the character. By turns feverish, pleading, ironic, and desperate, the woman tries to maintain a bond that has already been broken. From the very first minutes, the audience was struck by the fragility of the character, but also by a kind of strength that emanated from her.
Emotional dependence, the difficulty of saying goodbye, the temptation to humiliate oneself to keep the other person: these are universal themes that immediately resonate with the audience. For an entire evening, the audience held its breath, hanging on the words of a love that is falling apart, proof that when music and theater come together with precision, emotion reigns supreme.
The audience, attentive and silent throughout the performance, gave a warm ovation at the end of the show.”
Read the full article «La Voix humaine», cris et déchirements d’une femme délaisséein Zeitung vum Lëtzebuerger Vollek (in French).
“Seeing the woman in the red dress, the symbol was so clearly readable. I empathized with her struggle, my own struggle. For younger people like my daughter, a feminist lens is almost instinctive. For us of the older generation, we sometimes need something this striking to make the connection.”
Audience member, CAPE Ettelbruck
“When I saw the photos online, I immediately knew it was Maria Devitzaki’s work. She has a truly distinctive visual identity.”
Journalist, RTL Luxembourg
