Dialogues des Carmélites
Opera in three acts and twelve scenes
Libretto by the composer based on the drama of the same name by Georges Bernanos, based on the novella Die Letzte am Schafott by Gertrud von Le Fort
in French with German and English surtitles
Libretto by the composer based on the drama of the same name by Georges Bernanos, based on the novella Die Letzte am Schafott by Gertrud von Le Fort
in French with German and English surtitles
“No human dies for himself alone. One dies for others. Maybe some die instead of others. Who knows?“ (Sœur Constance in Dialogues des Carmélites). Few operas focus on the confrontation with one’s own mortality as much as Francis Poulenc’s opera about an order of Carmelite nuns in the turmoil of the French Revolution, which premiered in 1957. The story revolves around the young Blanche, who – plagued by severe anxiety since birth – finds shelter in a convent. But the time of security ends abruptly when the Revolutionary Committee breaks up the convent and forbids the community from practicing its rites. The sisters swear themselves to martyrdom, but Blanche’s fear of death drives her to flee. Eventually she manages to overcome herself: As she follows her sisters to the scaffold, her fear is extinguished in the face of death. In her production of this hybrid of thriller, discourse opera and holy mass, director Ewelina Marciniak, known for her feminist readings, focuses on the dynamics of a community of women struggling for communication and humanity in the midst of terror. And even if the supernatural “Salve Regina“ of the Carmelite nuns on the scaffold leaves no doubt that this opera is a fervent profession of faith by the Catholic Poulenc, the nuns’ willingness to make sacrifices raises questions: where are the boundaries between solidarity, faith and fundamentalism? How lonely is it to die in our secularized contemporary world? Under the musical direction of Cornelius Meister, Poulenc’s powerful music becomes a unique event.
#StgtCarmelites
World premiere
1957 in Milan
Premiere of this production
March 29, 2026
1957 in Milan
Premiere of this production
March 29, 2026
Recommended age
from grade 10
from grade 10
There will be a German introduction 45 minutes before the performance at the Upper Foyer (I. Rang).
Introductory matinee on “Dialogues des Carmélites“ on March 22, 2026
Introductory matinee on “Dialogues des Carmélites“ on March 22, 2026
Mar 2026
Dialogues des Carmélites
Sun
29
17:00
Opernhaus
Opernhaus
Premiere
8-139 € / I
Tickets available from presale start
Cast
Apr 2026
Dialogues des Carmélites
Sun
12
15:00
Opernhaus
Opernhaus
For families
8-126 € / H
Tickets available from presale start
Cast
Dialogues des Carmélites
Sat
18
19:00
Opernhaus
Opernhaus
Zum letzten Mal in dieser Spielzeit
8-126 € / H
Tickets available from presale start
Cast