The Opera of Terror - Poulenc’s Díalogues Des Carmélites in Juilliard

Faith. Persecution. Martyrdom. The late-romantic French composer Francis Poulenc’s (1899-1963) masterpiece opera Díalogues Des Carmélites (Dialogues of the Carmelites) uses music to explore the disturbing and frightening real-life tragedy (and a play of the same name by Georges Bernanos) of the persecution and execution of 16 Carmelite nuns during the French Revolution. On April 23, The Juilliard School, one of the world’s leading music conservatories, presented this brutal and terrifying opera with unsettling visuals, vivid acting, and, of course, passionate and emotional singing.

The opera follows the timid daughter of a wealthy family, Blanche de la Force (mezzo-soprano Ruby Dibble), who joins the nuns of Carmelites, a Catholic order, and takes on the name “Sister Blanche of the Agony of Christ” to temporarily escape from the violent chaos induced by the Reign of Terror. As political unrest continues to prevail, revolutionaries storm into the nunnery and declare that the nuns must abandon their religious devotion and live elsewhere. They refuse, and the monastery is left in ruins. Mother Marie (mezzo-soprano Anna Kelly) then proposes a vow of martyrdom to the rest of the sisters—a promise that the sisters will devote themselves to God even in the face of death and would ascend as martyrs once they pass on. As they are declaring the vow, Blanche, terrified and overwhelmed, flees.

The sisters continue to meet in secret despite the threat of being imprisoned; nevertheless, the nuns are captured and sent to jail. Execution awaits them, and the final scene of the opera shows all 16 nuns being led to the guillotine. They sing the final chorus, a hymn-like prayer, as they are beheaded, until only one is left: sister Constance (soprano Mariah Berry), the most cheerful and hopeful of them all. By that point, Blanche appears, joining the sisters. Constance walks to the guillotine, praying; then, Blanche sings the last syllables of the prayer and walks to her end.

The Juilliard performance splits the story into two parts. The first ends at the death of the former prioress, Madame de Croissy (mezzo-soprano Lauren Randolph) and the election of the new prioress, Madame Lidoine (soprano Jasmine Ward). The second part joins the original second and third acts, starting from Chevalier de la Force’s meeting with Blanche. The stage set-up consists of three sets: a couple ornate chairs and a giant canvas backdrop, oil-painted with a still-life image of dead animal parts on a table, representing the house of the de la Force; a rotatable rectangular white structure to represent the rooms in the monastery; and a stairway leading to the side of the theater to represent the jail. In the monastery and jail scenes, the entire stage is hollow, with no decoration aside from a few pieces of furniture and the bright, white lighting. 

The setting’s minimalistic approach is not a novel idea. Other productions of Díalogues Des Carmélites (take, for example, the Met Opera’s 2019 production) have used a similar style of scenery with big, hollow stages with limited setpieces. Nevertheless, Juilliard implemented some new ideas, most notably a staircase leading up and out of the stage right in the final scene. This resembles a staircase leading to heaven, symbolizing each nun’s ascension to heaven as a martyr as she gets guillotined—a setup that evokes creepiness and tension.

In addition to the atmosphere created by the staging, Juilliard’s production was defined by each performer, all of whom expressively portrayed their character with a distinct voice and presence. In a scene where Blanche criticizes Constance for taking death too lightly, one can clearly hear the contrast between Blanche’s harsh, condescending tone and Constance’s cheerful, nonchalant personality. Lauren Randolph is a standout; her portrayal of Madame de Croissy captured the weak and old essence of the character incredibly. On Madame de Croissy’s death bed, Randolph vividly played into the role of the dying prioress: first, fearing death and desperately begging the doctor to give her more medicine; then, worrying about Blanche and the other sisters and pleading Mother Marie to take care of them; finally, descending into madness as she sees a horrifying vision of the chapel—vacant and burnt as blood flows out of the floor.

The composition of the music is absolutely marvelous. Poulenc, an iconic figure known for his distinct, unconventional textures and harmonies, is masterful in his orchestration and vocal writing; the arias are tender and melodious, while the orchestral passages are colorful and grand. The unorthodox and dissonant harmonies suit the disturbing story very well. The most memorable section is undoubtedly the last scene, with the final chorus “Salve-Regina” being sung as a prayer while the nuns proceed to their doom. This chorus might just be among the best choral passages in all of opera due to how it perfectly blends the nuns’ fear and anger over their fates with their hope and courage as they become martyrs. This chorus, along with the tear-inducing sound of the guillotine beheading each nun as the others follow up, left the audience in shock and awe.

Of course, there are certainly some aspects of the performance that seem somewhat lacking, mainly attributable to the fact that the rather small stage allows for less creative freedom in the sets and transitions between scenes (compared to the Met 2019 production, for instance). Nevertheless, overall, Juilliard put on a very impressive performance of what is considered one of the 20th Century’s greatest French operas, featuring some of the top vocal students of the world and a unique and well-executed vision of the stage production. Overall, the production was powerful, memorable, and a special experience for anyone fond of historical tragedy.