LISTEN: Dialogues des Carmelites by Francis Poulenc

First performed in 1957, Poulenc’s opera Dialogues of the Carmelites originally had a small, devoted audience. Its popularity continues to grow as more productions are mounted, which is usually performed in the language of the audience where it is being staged.

The story is set in and around the Carmelite convent at Compiegne, Paris, during the French Revolution and the Terror that followed. The opera deals with a number of important questions, including the nature of faith, the place of the individual in a community, religious or not, and the appeal of martyrdom - do you choose it or does god offer it to you? The final scene, depicting the martyrdom of the Carmelite nuns, is scored as a “Salve Regina,” with the chorus of voices diminishing one by one as the nuns are led to the guillotine. The effect is as stunning as it is emotional.

My favorite recording is with the Lyon National Opera Orchestra conducted by Kent Nagano. The 2-CD set is available from Amazon.