Company

Singer

Bass-baritone

Michael Kraus

The Marquis de la Force

Tenor

Bernard Richter

The cavalier de la Force

Soprano

Nicole Car

Blanche de la Force

Contralto

Michaela Schuster

Madame de Croissy

Sabine Devieilhe

Sister Constance of St. Denis

Mezzo-soprano

Julie Boulianne

Mother Marie of the Incarnation

Maria Motolygina

Madame Lidoine

Vienna

Austria

Wiener Staatsoper

Bertrand de Billy

Conductor

Stage director

Magdalena Fuchsberger

Set designer

Monika Biegler

Costume designer

Valentin Köhler

Video designer

Aron Kitzig

Lighting designer

Rudolf Rischer

Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper

Dialogues des Carmélites - Dialogues of the Carmelites

Dialogues des Carmélites Poulenc

Public

Opera

Dialogues of the Carmelites

Approved

Of the three operas created by Francis Poulenc, his only full-length opera is based on a historical event from the time of the »Grande Terreur« in France: on 12 July 1794, 16 nuns belonging to the Carmel of Compiègne were executed in Paris. They had continued to practise their faith communally after the abolition of all religious communities by the National Assembly, and the charge of the Revolutionary Tribunal was accordingly counter-revolutionary practices. In the most famous scene of his work - the last - Poulenc set this very execution to music, following not only the literary models for his libretto but also tradition: the nuns ascend the scaffold, singing the Salve Regina. With the sound of the axe, one voice is cut off at a time, until at the end only one singer can be heard. When this voice is also interrupted by the sharp sound of the guillotine and shortly afterwards another soprano voice intones the Veni creator spiritus, the strong interweaving of historicising and fictional elements comes to a climax, which made the   such a gripping theatrical material and helped to secure the work an important place in the opera history of the 20th century.

Dialogues of the Carmelites by Francis Poulenc, From Wiener Staatsoper (2024/2024), Directed by Magdalena Fuchsberger,, Conductor Bertrand de Billy

Credits (Cast & Crew)

Wiener Staatsoper

Bertrand de Billy

Magdalena Fuchsberger

Cast

Michael Kraus

Bernard Richter

Nicole Car

Michaela Schuster

Sabine Devieilhe

Julie Boulianne

Maria Motolygina

Crew

Monika Biegler

Valentin Köhler

Aron Kitzig

Rudolf Rischer

Ensemble

Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos 1

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues 3