cocteau, verdi & zebras

hullo!! greetings from week six at the castleton festival in virginia! it's so far been a gorgeous summer of rolling hillsides, mahler, verdi, communing with zebras, donkeys and zonkeys (their love child), beer, wine, poolside times, sunshine and incredible music making. i just returned from an amazing pairing of the play, la voix humaine by cocteau (in translation) with the poulenc opera. i was so moved by the cocteau play and the fragility embodied by the actress who portrayed elle. it really was so humaine and lifelike and therefore so touching. i completely believed her inability to go on without her lover, as well as her struggle to come to terms with her aloneness and attempted strength. i was extremely moved and inspired by the play. it reminded me of some of the great opera characters i've been studying. i'm most drawn to characters i find interesting and humaine, such as susanna in mozart's le nozze di figaro, anne truelove in stravinsky's the rake's progress and violetta in verdi's la traviata. watching the cocteau play made me anxious to sink my teeth into some meaty acting roles as well. :)