Live on 19 July 2020
Watch Dialogues des Carmélites
Glyndebourne’s first ever staging of Poulenc's extraordinary 20th-century tragedy.
on Sunday 19 July 2020
Description
As the Revolution reaches its bloody height, Blanche de la Force turns her back on the world, searching for peace and purpose in the convent. But life as a Carmelite has its own horrors. Faced with an agonising choice, Blanche must let go of her fears and finally find the courage to live – or die.
One of the most devastatingly powerful operas in the repertoire, Dialogues des Carmélites is also one of the most beautiful. Steeped in Debussy, Monteverdi and Verdi, Poulenc’s lyrical score balances cinematic drama and scope, charged with the violence of revolution, with moments of startling simplicity and beauty. The composer may have asked rueful forgiveness for his nuns and their old-fashioned music, but this modern masterpiece needs no apology.
After a triumphant Saul, Barrie Kosky returns to direct Glyndebourne’s first ever production of Dialogues des Carmélites. Robin Ticciati conducts a superb ensemble cast.
A new production for Festival 2020. Sung in French with English supertitles.