Dialogues des Carmélites
by Francis Poulenc



Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the final Met Opera broadcast of the season, Francis Poulenc’s devastating story of faith and martyrdom, Dialogues des Carmélites. Mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard sings the touching role of Blanche and soprano Karita Mattila, a legend in her own time, returns to the Met as the Prioress.

One of the most successful operas of the later decades of the 20th century, Dialogues des Carmélites is a rare case of a modern work that is equally esteemed by audiences and experts. The opera focuses on a young member of an order of Carmelite nuns, the aristocratic Blanche de la Force, who must overcome a pathological timidity in order to answer her life’s calling. The score reflects key aspects of its composer’s personality: Francis Poulenc was an urbane Parisian with a profound mystical dimension, and the opera addresses both the characters’ internal lives and their external realities.

The opera takes place between 1789 and 1794 in Paris and in the town of Compiègne in northeastern France, the site of the Carmelite nuns’ convent. Its historical basis is the martyrdom of a group of 16 Carmelite nuns and lay sisters from Compiègne, who chose to offer themselves as victims for the restoration of peace to France during the Revolution.




Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin



Cast:

BLANCHE DE LA FORCE: Isabel Leonard

MME LIDOINE: Adrianne Pieczonka

CONSTANCE: Erin Morley

MÈRE MARIE: Karen Cargill

MME. DE CROISSY: Karita Mattila

CHEVALIER DE LA FORCE: David Portillo

MARQUIS DE LA FORCE: Jean-François Lapointe



Start time: 10:00am on Capital Public Radio .
Approximate running time 3 hrs 9 min


Click in the "LINKS" area for more information about Dialogues des Carmélites.

SEE Dialogues des Carmélites live in a local cinema!
The Met Opera broadcasts select live productions directly into cinemas so you can see the opera instead of only listen on the radio. Click the link on this page to go to the Met Opera's website for info and to find a cinema near you. Please note that the start time in cinemas will be 9:00am for this production. However, the CapRadio RADIO broadcast WILL begin at 10am.

This is the final Met Opera for the season. The 2019-2020 season of broadcasts begins on CapRadio December 7th with Akhnaten by Philip Glass. Follow the "2019-2020 Season" link on this page for a preview of what's coming up in the 2019-2020 season. 

And for information about the next season of live broadcasts into cinemas, which begin on Saturday October 12th with "Turandot," follow the "2019-2020 season in Cinemas" link on this page.