Opera Review: March to the Scaffold

Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites at Caramoor. 
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Sisters: the cast of Dialogues of the Carmelites with Hei-Kyung Hong at the right.
Photo by Gabe Palacio © 2015 Caramoor Festival.

The Bel Canto at Caramoor series specializes in the opera of the early 19th century. But this Saturday, music director Will Crutchfield thrust this annual summer opera festival squarely into the 20th century with the first Caramoor performance of François Poulenc's powerful 1957 opera Dialogues of the Carmelites. This semi-staged performance, directed by Victoria Crutchfield featured a strong cast of veteran singers mixed with raw but very promising talent.

Metropolitan Opera Preview: Dialogues of the Carmelites

A great, old-school Met production receives a necessary revival.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

All in a row: Isabel Leonard (left) stars as Blanche in Dialogues of the Carmelites.
Photo by Ken Howard © 2013 The Metropolitan Opera.

The Metropolitan Opera's production of Dialogues des Carmélites is the stuff of legend. It's the Holy Grail for lovers of French opera and modernistic staging: a stark, elegant vision (by John Dexter) of emotional depth and religious beauty.  The good news is that this revival stars Isabel Leonard as Blanche. Patricia Racette (who sang the leading role the last time the Met revived this opera) is Madame Lidoine.. Felicity Palmer and Paul Appleby round out a stellar cast.

The bad news: the Met has scheduled just three performances.