One of the most successful operas of the later decades of the 20th century, Poulenc’s devastating story of faith and martyrdom is a rare case of a modern work that is equally esteemed by audiences and experts. The score reflects key aspects of its composer’s personality: Poulenc was an urbane Parisian with a profound mystical dimension, and the opera addresses both the characters’ internal lives and their external realities.
The opera focuses on a young member of an order of Carmelite nuns, the aristocratic Blanche de la Force (sung by mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard), who must overcome a pathological timidity in order to answer her life’s calling. Karita Mattila, a legend in her own time, returns to the Met as the Prioress, and New Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts Runtime: 3h9m
