Zoe Zeniodi Program Note
See conductor Zoe Zeniodi's program note below
I’ve always considered the conductor to be the “translator” for the composer. The one who has the knowledge to understand the musical notation and the responsibility to pass it on to the musicians and audience. This provides the conductor with freedom to explore and create a space of true transformation.
The exploration becomes even more exciting when one is asked to work for months on two very unique shows, including a brand-new Australian work, where open territories can be thoroughly traversed.
The Human Voice is Poulenc’s masterpiece where we peer into the emotional world of a woman and go through her love and her agony as she separates from her lover. One of the most interesting details of the story lies in the fact that we only receive one side of the conversation and are left to imagine the other.
Poulenc’s unique music creates the space to interpret the missing dialogue from the text and the inspired abrupt emotional changes, a true ‘tour de force” of the senses and the soul. Through this process we remember, connect, and discover things about ourselves.
The Call is a buzzing and alive work. Being able to work closely with the composer in the creation of a new work is a true gift for a conductor. In a way, this work is the other side of the coin in the pairing of these two operas. It also depicts the emotional turmoil in the life of a woman but focuses on her separation from herself and the journey to finding herself again. D’Netto’s music is full of evocative, honest, and modern soundscapes, leading us to connect closely to our emotional centers.
Who hasn’t gone through similar stories? Who can’t be both voices on stage, the heard and the unheard? It is exhilarating and therapeutic to be able to work through one’s past, present, and future through art – and this is what makes music essential in our lives: It is the ‘natural’ transformation of a dormant interior.
