Long Beach Opera to Present LA VOIX HUMAINE

Long Beach Opera (LBO) continues its 2015/16 season with Francis Poulenc's emotional and passionate La Voix Humaine at the Federal Bar's Underground Club, 102 Pine Avenue, Long Beach. The opera will be directed by LBO's Artistic and General Director Andreas Mitisek and conducted by Krystof Van Grysperre. Seven performances of La Voix Humaine begin April 8 and run through April 17.

Written in 1959, Francis Poulenc's stunning work, La Voix Humaine (The Human Voice), is based on the play by Jean Cocteau, who worked closely with the composer to adapt it into an opera. Performed in English, Suzan Hanson sings the role of Elle as she makes a final phone call to the man who kept her as a mistress, but who is now moving on, leaving her alone and distraught. The New York Times hailed the piece as "gripping...an overwhelming tour de force."

Singing Elle in La Voix Humaine at Opera San Jose, the San Francisco Chronicle described Hanson's performance as "Supreme Vocalism. Even more than most, this is a piece that lives or dies with its performer and soprano Suzan Hanson brought Poulenc's score irresistibly to life. Her singing was fresh and forceful, with pointed rhythmic clarity and blazing dramatic fervor."

Since 1995, Suzan Hanson has appeared with LBO in over 24 roles. Her performances at LBO and other opera houses have consistently garnered a collection of raves and accolades from critics and audiences alike: "Multifarious talents...Charismatic star appeal...One of the reliable pleasures of LBO [is] to hear Hanson ranging across its daring repertory." (The Hollywood Reporter); "Gorgeous to listen to" (Boston Globe); "Mesmerizing intensity" Chicago Tribune); "Profoundly moving" (LA Times); "Her singing is blistering, her enunciation and acting are exceptional." (Concerto.net); "Divas like this inspire awe...Brilliant soprano...one of the finest singing actresses on stage today." (Opera West).

Audiences for La Voix Humaine will be seated at tables of three and four at the Underground Club in the Federal Bar, a restaurant and nightclub in downtown Long Beach located in a former Security National Bank building. Prior to the performance, complimentary small bites will be offered along with a cash bar. A meeting place and music venue for couples and singles, the Underground Club is an intimate and apt venue for Poulenc's powerful, dramatic opera about the complications of love.

For more information: http://www.longbeachopera.org/2016-season

LBO Box Office: 562-432-5934

Photo by P. Kirk

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