Soprano Janelle Visagie, recently seen as the Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music, stars in La voix humaine, one of three short works in Cape Town Opera’s SHORTS Festival of Pocket Operas, opening on 11 April 2024 at the Artscape Arena in Cape Town. BEVERLEY BROMMERT spoke to her.
Acclaimed soprano Janelle Visagie is no stranger to the challenges of Poulenc’s poignant one-hander, La voix humaine, included among the trio of pocket operas to be staged by Cape Town Opera next month.
This unassuming recipient of multiple awards for an array of roles from comic opera (Cendrillon) to musicals (The Sound of Music) to intense operatic works (La voix humaine), has already won a Fleur du Cap award for her portrayal of Elle in the last-mentioned. That was nearly six years ago.
The director Magdalene Minnaar and the accompanist for the earlier production, José Dias, are unchanged for the 2024 reprise.
This reading of La voix humaine brings the aspect of a broken woman’s mental illness to the fore, and explores the concept of the lead’s gradual descent into a heart-wrenching divorce from reality as a result of dementia.
Personal experience
Its authenticity is enhanced by the director’s personal experience of dementia suffered by an elderly relative. Intermittent flashes of lucidity intensify the pathos.
“In the 2018 production, Magdalene used the concept of dementia/Alzheimer’s as an extra layer of meaning on top of Elle’s heartbreak-related emotional breakdown and suicide attempt. I am portraying her at a point later in her life, confined to a mental health institution, going in and out of the recollection of that traumatic moment on the phone with her lover, which finally broke her fragile spirit for good and that plays on repeatedly like a broken record in her mind. It becomes darker but more rewarding, and more emotionally challenging. The role of Elle is difficult, both musically and dramatically, as the solo performer has nowhere to hide; also, one needs a certain maturity to do justice to the part. It’s a little easier being older than I was last time around”, Visagie says.
She adds that in this more sombre version, she tries to preserve a degree of detachment from her character by immersion in happy music between rehearsals as an antidote to the misery of Elle, although valuing the catharsis of undertaking this role since she has herself known the tragedy of unhappy love.
Another plus for her this time is the change of venue: “Last time I performed in the intimacy of the Youngblood Gallery, where the audience was too close for comfort, so it was quite invasive. For this production we’ll be in a small venue (Artscape Arena), but while preserving intimacy, less proximity to the audience gives the performer more space.”
Love for Poulenc’s music
She affirms her love for Poulenc’s music, and is more than happy to sing in French: “That language may not be my best, but it sits easily with my voice; I find its nasal quality very comfortable, and José has been a wonderful help to me as he’s a real linguist, speaking seven languages.”
She is warm in her praise for her piano accompanist, who has supported and inspired her for nearly 15 years, “helping me to grow as an artist and singer.”
Performing is only a part of Visagie’s pursuit of her career in opera: having completed her BMus Honours at Stellenbosch last year, she is shortly embarking on a Master’s degree in vocal performance, a two-year course involving a thesis. Her choice of topic will be a biography of her revered mentor and coach, soprano Virginia Davids, to whom she expresses gratitude for bringing her so far along the path to a success endorsed by most lovers of opera.
Cape Town Opera extends its deepest gratitude to the Judith Neilson Foundation for its extraordinary philanthropic support of its 25th anniversary season.
SHORTS-A Festival of Pocket Operas is at the Artscape Arena from 11 to 21 April 2024. Trial by Media is on 11 and 18 April at 6pm; the double bill – La voix humaine and The Impresario – is on 12 and 19 April at 18h00 and 19h30 respectively, and the triple bill featuring all three operas- Trial By Media, La Voix Humaine and The Impresario – takes place on 13,13,20,21 April at 15h00, 16h30 and 18h00 respectively.
Tickets are from R150 to R280 per person. For performance details and to book visit Webtickets. Note that for La voix humaine parental guidance is advised, while no under 10s are allowed into Trial By Media.
Who: Soprano Janelle Visagie
What: La voix humaine SHORTS-A Festival of Pocket Operas
Where: Artscape Arena Cape Town
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