Dialogues of the Carmelites

My third opera, but the last to be written about, was Dialogues of the Carmelites.  It is the mostly true story of a group of nuns living in their convent during the Reign of Terror in France.  The music and libretto were written by Francis Poulenc -- only his second opera!  It was originally written in three acts, but was performed in two at OTSL.

The first act of the show lays the groundwork, including how our heroine came to be at the convent in the first place.  Though the Mother Superior had a stunning voice, it took her an awful long time to get along with the dying that she did at the end of the act. 

And the second act is where things get really heavy.  The nuns are captured and refuse to relinquish their vows.  They are condemned to death, and one by one, climb the scaffold to have their heads summarily separated from their shoulders.

As you may have guessed, it's a pretty dark show.  Sad, depressing, moving, but not something I want to see again soon.