La voix humaine

Described by composer Francis Poulenc as “a musical confession,” La voix humaine tells the story of one woman as she grapples with grief, denial, and anger in the face of unrequited love, all expressed through one side of a telephone call. The role of Elle, the lone character in the monodrama, has been called a true tour de force for soprano Patricia Racette. Filmed at the gilded Elkins Estate in Cheltenham Township, Pennsylvania, this new cinematic interpretation imbues Poulenc’s intimate 1958 musical creation with even greater psychological insight and nuance.

The feature film is accompanied by Opera Philadelphia’s 2021 short film Save the Boys by composer Tyshawn Sorey. Inspired by an 1887 poem by abolitionist, writer, and Black women’s rights activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, the stirring music is performed by countertenor John Holiday (NBC’s The Voice) and pianist Grant Loehnig.

Opera Philadelphia, the only American finalist for both the 2016 International Opera Award for Best Opera Company and the 2020 International Opera Award for Best Festival, is “the very model of a modern opera company” (Washington Post). Committed to developing opera for the 21st century, the company is recognized as “a hotbed of operatic innovation” (New York Times).