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Impersonal communication is nothing new. Jean Cocteau became interested in the phenomenon in his 1930 theater monologue “Vox humana” about actors and telephones. In the musical version by the French composer Francis Poulenc in 1958, the piece became “La voix humaine” (The Human Voice), which has acquired new relevance in recent years. The solo opera is about a woman who says goodbye to her lover on the phone. He is going to marry someone else, she has broken down and gradually reveals that she tried to take her own life the night before.
For a speaker like Barbara Hannigan, Poulenc’s piece continues to be a bravura number. But, she muses in a post on her website, is there even a former lover in “La voix humaine”?
Contemporary individualism, isolation and often involuntary loneliness have undeniably added another dimension to monodrama as such. DN’s music critic Martin Nyström noted in a 2022 review of Hannigan’s performance in particular that one could see the return of the format itself as an expression of the idea of ”owning your story.” From a scenic point of view, it is a way of thinking that “no longer recognizes and no longer relies on the place, the meeting point of the dialogic, which has always been a basic requirement for opera and theater.”
In today’s filter bubbles, no one can hear you scream. Or even laugh
That’s exactly what’s interesting in terms of the echo chamber that social – or perhaps anti-social – media has become over time. In today’s filter bubbles, no one can hear you scream. Or even laugh. The latter is the starting point for the Danish one-man production this spring at the Malmö Opera, in which the title “LOL” does not stand for the Internet expression “laughing out loud” but for “laughing out lonely”. Countertenor Morten Grove Frandsen plays all roles in this solo opera, which will have its Swedish premiere on March 31st.
The texts are based on youth texts Social media posts and apparently a lot of dark – not to say macabre – thoughts are gathering here. Among the strange, contact-seeking existences that come to the fore are a girl with self-harming behavior and a boy who dreams of being slaughtered as a sacrificial lamb. As part of the scenography, the audience is placed on a large stage and, accompanied by these often extreme voices from the darkest corners of the Internet, can probably expect a rather unpleasant atmosphere.
“LOL. Laughing out lonely” was written by the composer duo Matilde Böcher and Asger Kudahl and premiered at the Copenhagen Opera Festival in 2023. It is already enjoying great popularity and continues to tour internationally throughout the year. In connection with this performance – also the smartphone offshoot of Poulenc’s “La voix humaine” – is the monologue opera “Sad Boy”, which rounded off the Parkteater season in Stockholm last year. Here, baritone singer Richard Hamrin portrayed a heartbroken young man on the verge of social media and a nervous breakdown.
The question is natural How far can the art of opera be renewed before an opera is no longer just an opera? When American composer David T. Little’s David Lynch-inspired “Black Lodge,” featuring emotionally tortured tenor Timur Bekbosunov as soloist, visited both the Malmö Opera and Folkoperan in November, the song cycle was closer.
“LOL. Laughing out lonely” is more of a performance. But regardless of the label, the emoji laugh gets stuck in the throat as the monodrama refuses to celebrate loneliness and instead frames perceived blackness in a social climate that has distorted the dialogue.
Three more operas this spring
“The Olympic Games”
The “Olimpiade” by the Italian librettist Metastasio was popular with composers in the 18th century. Vivaldi was second on the ball with his version. The direction of the imaginative performance artist Charlotte Engelkes and the musical direction of Peter Spišský pave the way for a mischievous baroque set.
Premiere 19/2, Folkoperan in Stockholm.
“Selma and a beautiful story from a happy time”
Mats Larsson Gothe previously composed the life of a Nobel Prize winner in the opera about Blanche and Marie (Curie). Next up is Selma Lagerlöf – herself a current librettist at the Aalto Musiktheater Essen, who is finally bringing the Elfrida Andrée opera “Fritiofs Saga” to the stage.
Premiere 26/2, Wermland Opera in Karlstad.
“Challenger”
Fria operakompaniet Kamraten is a creative and courageous group that explores different themes seasonally. With their first completely rewritten opera about the space shuttle that exploded live 40 years ago, they explore the border between vision and madness in a modern tragedy.
Played 2-3/6, Folkoperan in Stockholm.
