On May 27, the Hvorostovsky Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre will introduce the premiere of the production He, She, and a Telephone at the Art Cafe.

“Two operas for the price of one” is the definition its director Daniil Dmitriev gave to the project He, She. and a Telephone. The project comprises two one-act operas: La Voix Humaine by Francis Poulenc and The Telephone by Gian Carlo Menotti. The protagonists of both operas are united by a fragile but omnipotent gadget of the 21st century - a telephone.

“In the first opera, the heroine sorts out the relationship with her ex whom she once passionately loved. In the second one, the young man cannot declare his love to the girl in any way because she is constantly distracted. In La Voix Humaine, the phone becomes the only means of communication for two people; in The Telephone, it distracts perhaps from the most great and important thing in life. How will these stories end? And what role will the phone play in them: will the connection between the lovers improve or be cut off forever? Come to the foyer of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre on May 27: you’ll know there what will happen,” commented Daniil Dmitriev.

Both composers – Frenchman Francis Poulenc and American of Italian origin Gian Carlo Menotti – are already known to the Krasnoyarsk opera fans. The repertoire of the Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet Theatre includes Poulenc's one-act opera Les Mamelles de Tirésias (nominated in four categories for the Golden Mask 2020) and Menotti's The Medium (also directed by Daniil Dmitriev) that won the Krasnoyarsk regional festival Theatrical Spring 2019 in the category Best Production of a Small Form in a Music Theatre.