HAWAII OPERA THEATRE
By FRANCIS POULENC
Mention you are with FLH and get 20% off. This offer is good only at the box office located at 848 S. Beretania St., Suite 303 or by calling (808) 596.7858.
One of the twentieth century's most powerful, important and emotionally challenging operas, a favorite of sopranos worldwide, Dialogues of the Carmelites will be presented by Hawaii Opera Theatre at Blaisdell Concert Hall on February 15, 17 and 19th.
The opera's theme is the ultimate test of character. What will one die for? This troubling but inspirational work is based on a true story in the context of the French Revolution and deals with the fate of a group of Carmelite nuns who must face their fear and take a stand for what they truly believe.
The main character, Blanche, an aristocratic young woman who has joined the convent in an attempt to find refuge from the turmoil around her, finds herself caught up in the Reign of Terror led by Robespierre, and nothing is ever the same again. On July 17, 1794, sixteen Carmelite nuns were guillotined, as the Catholic Church was associated with the French monarchy and thus considered evil and corrupt.
The story is universal and relevant . The conflicts raised by the replacement of existing tyranny with new forms of oppression, and the choices Blanche faces in maintaining her faith and the freedom to express it are confronted daily by millions of individuals in many parts of the world today. There is also a Hawaii interest in that the Sacred Hearts order which brought Catholicism to the islands in 1827 was being founded in Paris concurrently with the events in the opera, and there is still a cloistered community of Carmelite nuns in Hawaii at St. Stephens on the Pali.
The current film, Les Miserables, pictures events connected with an uprising against French injustice. Dialogues memorializes the tragic involvement of the Carmelites in France's world changing Revolution.
The opera will be performed in English as the composer prescribed that all productions be in the vernacular of the performance venue to give the drama maximum impact.
For more information and tickets, go to www.hawaiiopera.org, or call 596-7858.
Opera previews will take place at the Duke Theater at the Honolulu Museum of Art on Wednesday, February 6th at 10:00 AM, and the HOT Rehearsal Hall on Saturday, February 9th at 1:00 PM.