Poulenc: "La voix humaine" (North American premiere, 1959)

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the birth of Québécois soprano Pierrette Alarie (November 9, 1921 - July 10, 2011), here is a Radio-Canada telecast from 3 December 1959 of the one-act opera by Francis Poulenc. Jean-Marie Beaudet conducts the Orchestre de Radio-Canada. I believe the program was produced and/or directed by Pierre Mercure for Radio-Canada. This was the North American premiere of the work. Alarie was quoted as saying this was the greatest interpretive challenge of her career. She had long and tireless musical sessions with Jean-Marie Beaudet to succeed in bringing out the subtleties and intensity of the work. Link to my Pierrette Alarie playlist:    • Pierrette Alarie (1921-2011)