Karmelitsystrarna by Poulenc, tor 08 feb 2024, Från (2024/2024), Regisserad av Olivier Py,, Dirigent James Sherlock, Hannu Lintu, Finnish National Opera, Helsingfors, Finland

Now seen for the first time at the Finnish National Opera, Dialogues des Carmélites is a masterpiece based on a true story. The opera tells the tale of a young woman from an aristocratic family who seeks refuge in a convent to escape the terror of the revolutionaries. Composer Francis Poulenc’s combination of haunting melodies and religious hymns lingers in your memory long after the guillotine’s fateful blade has fallen. This philosophical opera delves into deep existential questions such as fear and death. Compared to other operatic works, Dialogues des Carmélites features an exceptionally large variety of soprano, mezzo-soprano, and alto roles, all performed by renowned Finnish singers. This award-winning and visually striking production by the French director Olivier Py had its acclaimed world premiere at the Theatre de Champs-Elysées in Paris in 2013. Unique and unprecedented Light-hearted and philosophical melogies, wistful frolicking, religious cabaret – few composers have combined contradicting elements as convincingly as the French maestro Francis Poulenc (1899–1963). His distinctive style brings to mind both Parisian bistros of the 1920s and medieval cathedrals. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Poulenc remained committed to tonal music and even dedicated his opera Dialogues of the Carmelites (1956) to the great composers of centuries past: Mussorgsky, Monteverdi, Debussy, and Verdi. As a result, it’s difficult to compare Dialogues of the Carmelites to any other musical work: it completely unique and unprecedented.