La Voix humaine & L’enfant et les sortilèges at Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House

A voice on the edge. A world that comes alive.

Experience two French masterpieces in this double bill of one act operas, performed in concert with the Opera Australia Orchestra, conducted by Andrea Battistoni.

Poulenc’s La Voix humaine is an electrifying showcase for soprano. An unnamed woman makes one final phone call with her lover, whose attentions have turned elsewhere. Over 40 gripping minutes, the full depth of her despair is laid bare as she grapples with rejection, longing and loss.

Opera superstar Anna Caterina Antonacci makes a long-awaited Opera Australia debut with an acclaimed, unforgettable performance, unleashing extraordinary vocal and dramatic intensity.

If La Voix humaine is intimate and unflinchingly real, Ravel’s L’enfant et les sortilèges is a dark fantasy set free — its kaleidoscopic score drawing on influences from Wagner to Gershwin.

In the midst of a ferocious tantrum, a child lays waste to their room — until the objects they’ve destroyed spring to life. One by one, they confront their tormentor.

Margaret Plummer (Hansel & Gretel, Cinderella) leads a cast of outstanding Australian singers in this rarely performed opera by one of the early 20th century’s most inventive composers.

Language: Performed in French with English surtitles

Running Time: Appoximately 1 hour and 50 minutes, including one interval