Dialogues des Carmélites - Final Scene (“Salve Regina”)

The climactic final scene from Francis Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites.” The opera is based on Gertrud Von Le Fort’s novella “The Song at the Scaffold,“ which was inspired by the true story of the Blessed Martyrs of Compiègne, the 16 Carmelite nuns who were among the last victims of the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. They were guillotined on July 17, 1794. Each of the sisters died singing to the very end. In Poulenc’s opera, their last song is the “Salve Regina,“ but according to the historical record, their last songs were Psalm 116 (“Laudate Dominum“) and “Veni Creator Spiritus.“ New York Metropolitan Opera, 2018-2019 season Production by: John Dexter Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin Blanche de la Force: Isabel Leonard Madame Lidoine: Adrianne Pieczonka Soeur Constance: Erin Morley