Search - Poulenc, Duval, Crespin :: Dialogues

One of the Mid-Twentieth Century's Greatest Operatic Works

Timothy Kearney | Hull, MA United States | 05/07/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I became interested in Poulenc's DIALOGUES des CARMELITES long before I heard a note of the opera. I was twelve or thirteen at the time and was looking something up in an encyclopedia and I came across the entry for opera. Glossy photographs accompanied the entry and a stark black and white photograph of singers dressed as nuns lying prostrate on the floor piqued my curiosity. I'm sure it was a number of years later before I ever heard a note of the opera itself, but that image has remained with me for many years and it may be a reason why the opera has fascinated me over the years.



The story of the opera is about a Carmelite convent that was suppressed during the French Revolution and its nuns, who resisted the order of suppression were martyred. The story has become part of French culture and it caught the attention of Francois Poulenc, a composer who had moderate success during his lifetime but up to that time had not composed anything that would outlive him. DIALOGUES turned out to be his masterpiece. The powerful music, with a lush and fluid sound, a far cry form much of what was written for the operatic stage in the 1950's, is aided by a powerful libretto written by none other than Georges Bernanos, the great French writer who had the literary talent to write a wonderful story and the an understanding of Catholicism and a spirituality that can only come from a person of authentic faith.



This recording was the first studio recording of the work and the cast includes some of the singers who performed in the work's premiere. Poulenc himself was also an advisor when the work was recorded, so perhaps this may be one of the few operatic recordings that we have that is true to the composer's intentions since the composer was involved in the recording. The cast includes one of opera's greatest voices, Regine Crespin as well as one of the best known mezzos of the French repertoire Rita Gorr. While the recording has been remastered, listeners will immediately notice it was first recorded in mono so it has an aged sound to it. Yet this should not be a deterrant because it has dramatic intensity. Very often I listen to opera while doing something else, and I will have to admit I can be working away as some of opera's most gory death scenes occur and barely notice. Yet whenever I listen DIALOGUES and hear the nuns sing "Salve Regina" and hear the chorus diminished one by one as the nuns are executed, and hear the guillotine (a percussion representation of the guillotine, of course) I always stop and pause. Even the total destruction of DIE GOTTERDAMMERUNG doesn't cause me to pause the way DIALOGUES can.



If your purchasing this recording, you may also want to consider reading M. Owen Lee's commentary on this work in his volume A SEASON OF OPERA FROM ORPHEUS TO ARIADNE. In this entry Fr. Lee combines all that makes this a wonderful opera.

"

A journey of transformation

S Duncan | London | 08/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I once read a review of where the reviewer said the opera continued to "grow in stature," the more he listened to it. After my ongoing experience with Dialogues des Carmélites, I dare say that I have never heard anything that more closely fits that description. And for someone who used to be almost fettered to studio, stereo recordings, this remastered mono recording proves to be exceptionally good.



As one previous reviewer said, the reason why not many stereo recordings of this opera are available is because this one was so perfect. Pierre Dervaux's conducting is as close to perfection as one could hope for, capturing the ethereal quality of the nuns' order, as well as the fragility, grief, pathos, anxiety and raw brutality of the drama, where appropriate. The music feels more real, rather than fantastical. The sound is clear and well-balanced but what amazing interpretations! The diction throughout is superb, by mere virtue of the performers' nativity.



Duval's celestial voice has immortalised the role and she is not alone in being such an unparalleled pioneer. Her's is a most touching and fragile Soeur Blanche, and her gentle sobs or gasps during her many vulnerable moments make you want to shield her from harm, rather than hug her tight for fear of damaging her further. This must fit in with Mère Marie's towering character as her appointed guardian. Rita Gorr's Mère Marie is both formidable, and yet beneficent, and her duet with Soeur Blanche towards the end of the opera sees a resolution of her matriarchal intent. Gorr is wonderful in this role. I once heard clips of Florence Quivar's interpretation, in English, at the Met., and while she too was breath-taking, I think that it is an inherent character of this opera that it inspires each performer to his or her best. Duval's scene with her character's brother, the Chevalier de la Force (remarkably sung by Jean Giraudeau), is the sort of tension you rarely encounter- without the bombast but all the more taut. Scharley's agony as the dying Prioress is haunting....not in the way that Tchaikovsy's Countess haunts you in Pique Dame. Hers is a more believably human response to death and the death scene cannot fail to leave an indelible mark: her resolve in addressing Soeur Blanche (Duval) as she weakens, then the music changes pace (evoking Mussorgsky's `clock-scene' from `Boris Godinov') and you feel that the Prioress's end is indeed fast approaching. Her plea to Dr. Javelinot is chilling, and her reply as the pain takes hold begins her spell of doom: "Monsieur Javelinot, vous savez qu'il est d'usage dans nos maisons qu'une prieure prenne publiquement congé de la communauté." She then descends into unbridled delirium, agony and eventual death.



This begins a steeper incline to the opera's monumental climax. Even Soeur Constance's character, sung with radiant purity by the brilliant Liliane Berton, takes on a distinctly `fated' hue as the opera progresses. Needless to say, Régine Crespin's Mme. Lidoine, the new Prioress, is pure elegance. Her aria, "Mes Filles, Voila Que S'acheve Notre Premiere Nuit De Prison" is unparalleled on any complete recording of the opera and the top notes are un-forced. This touching aria leads into her final exhortations to her sisters before the each brave the raw terror of mounting the horrific guillotine- portrayed with devastating effectiveness under Pierre Dervaux's expert baton. The sound of the falling blade immediately erases each voice, one by one, until Soeur Blanche's heroic final decision to join her sisters in the end, transforming the death-march of their "Salve Regina" into "Deo Patri sit Gloria," before her voice is suddenly silenced by its violence.



At first I was deeply disturbed by the opera. All accounts of the Reign of Terror have always left me horrified- whether A Tale of Two Cities or Andrea Chenier. This particular account however, was more immediate than I had anticipated. Admittedly, I had to work off the initial shock...and now I am in a phase of sheer wonder at the composition and performances. Consider it a worthy pilgrimage for every opera fan."