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Have any of you performed Poulenc's Dialogue of the Carmelites? Just wondering if there is much to play or if there is a part at all.

Thanks.

I played it last year. It is not a huge tuba part as I recall but there is some loud tutti brass playing toward the end. I used F tuba.

Tuba part aside, the end of this opera is absolutely bone chilling!

This sounds like something to look forward to! Thanks for the info!

Gary

The end of the opera goes something like this: Sixteen nuns, guillotine, SWIIIISH, THUNK, fifteen nuns...

Really fun opera to play, I did it on CC tuba at summer festival.
Lots of great harmonies as I recall and really moving for the audience
I was doubling the second bassoon part, too- So if you do that, um, make sure you realize when the part goes into tenor clef.

The Dialog of the Carmelites always brings back good memories of sitting in the Sinfonian House at IWU listening to the ending after having a few cold ones with the brothers and any unsuspecting quests (good first date opera).

I've never actually seen the opera as I was in the pit. What I remember most though are:

1) We made up our own libretto in the pit to while away the many rests. (The stuff I remember can't be repeated here)

2) The quiet section before one of the tuba entries was disturbed by some thoughtless tubist who, after carefully and quietly placing his mute in his horn, proceeded to quickly lift it onto his lap without thinking of the clearance space of the ceiling in the pit. *THUD!* It happened twice in the run and was very embarassing...for whomever that tubist was.

It's a nice part. Oh... I'm sure EVERYONE needs to know that I played it on a 4/4 CC Nirschl with a Schilke H II, neoprene bumpers on my fifth valve, cork rather than rubber on my spit valve, black shoes and matching pit blacks.

The "March to the Scaffold" is a fun blow. Prior to that, a whole lotta rests occaisionally punctuated by trombones on muted, minor seconds, announcing the bad guy.

Chicago Lyric is staging this opera now through March 17. I just spoke to a friend who saw it and told me that she was numb with fear and sorrow at its ending.

Alex F wrote:Chicago Lyric is staging this opera now through March 17. I just spoke to a friend who saw it and told me that she was numb with fear and sorrow at its ending.

I can well imagine -- just read through the Wikipedia article (thanks, Robert, for the link).