Soprano Paula Sides and pianist Sergey Rybin launch their vibrant new recording of works by the French 20th Century composer Francis Poulenc. The centrepiece of the album is Poulenc’s short solo opera La voix humaine (“The human voice”), based on the play of the same name by his friend Jean Cocteau. The one-act piece involves a solo singer in a single room with a telephone. The anonymous individual has been abandoned by her lover and reveals that she has attempted to commit suicide. The drama consists of her last conversation with her lover – an intense and sometimes disturbing monologue. Accompanying La voix humaine on the album is Poulenc’s song cycle Fiançailles pour rire (“Betrothals for laughs”), his 1939 setting of six poems from the collection of the same name by Louise de Vilmorin.
Born in the Deep South, Paula Sides grew up in the vibrant sound world of Gospel and Jazz. As a teenager, she was fatefully told by a teacher that she had 'classical chords' and was introduced to, and fell in love with, the world of Classical Music: developing a passion for opera and the stage, as well as for French Song; Poulenc and Faure, with its familiar jazz harmonies. She went on to be awarded the Gold Medal at the Royal College of Music, where she also performed Fiançailles pour rire by Poulenc for the first time at Cadogan Hall. Her operatic repertoire includes Cunegonde/Candide, Tsaritsa of Shemakha/Golden Cockerel, Thais/Thaïs, Mimi & Musetta/La Boheme, Lucrezia/Lucrezia Borgia, Giulietta/Un giorno di regno, Elettra/Idomeneo, Donna Anna/Don Giovanni. Off stage, Paula, will be found in the greenhouse in all weathers enjoying growing things.
Since completing his studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London under the tutelage of Malcolm Martineau, Sergey Rybin has worked extensively for City of Birmingham Opera, English Touring Opera, Garsington Opera, Opera Holland Park and Grange Park Opera. He has been elected an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music, London and joined the coaching staff of the Jette Parker Artists' Programme at the Royal Opera House. After working as chief repetiteur on the ROH production of Eugene Onegin, he joined the music staff team for Lucia di Lammermoor, Nabucco, The Nose, Les Contes d'Hoffmann and Der Rosenkavalier. Maintaining various coaching commitments throughout the year, Sergey has returned to Glyndebourne for Nozze di Figaro and travelled to La Monnaie in Brussels for Tchaikovsky's The Queen of Spades. Most recently he worked as the assistant conductor for Evelino Pidó on La Boheme at the ROH, conducted a nationwide tour of Giulio Cesare for English Touring Opera and assisted Paul Daniel on The Queen of Spades at Grange Festival later in the season.
Tonight's concert will feature a full recital of the two works, and will be filmed for future broadcast as part of the VOCES8 Foundation's 'LIVE From London' online concert series.
Tickets via link below £15.00 each