Poulenc : Dialogues Des Carmélites

   in Opera Now (Oct, 2017)
Dialogues des Carmélites is fascinatingly staged by Dmitri Tcherniakov in Munich (2010). It’s a surprisingly secular interpretation, the nuns in modern clothes, their home a shed-like structure on an otherwise empty stage. This means that the view is often obscured by beams and scrims: I felt it gave a sense of eavesdropping on the community, others might not like it. The interrelationships are beautifully delineated and the tension really builds. Unfortunately, Tcherniakov has a fresh take on the opera’s end which is theatrically exciting but argues against the music: no spoiler, but be warned. Kent Nagano’s conducting is deliciously textural and well- paced. The cast is wonderful, featuring singers such as …