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46 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | SEPTEMBER 2025 On Sept. 12, the Four Seasons Opera Club presents Poulenc's "Les Dialogues des Carmelites" in e Lodge eatre. Francis Poulenc's 1956 opera, based on a novel by Gertrud von Le Fort, tells the story of the martyrdom of the Martyrs of Compiègne. 16 women – 11 nuns, three lay sisters and two tertiaries were guillotined in 1794 – at the end of the French Reign of Terror – for refusing to deny their religious oaths. On July 17, 1794 they were taken to what is now the Place de la Nation in Paris' 12th arrondisement to be executed. e youngest sister, Constance, was the rst to walk to the guillotine. She began chanting the Laudate Dominum but was cut short by the whine of the guillotine blade. Each sister in turn were silenced in the same way. e order prioress, Mother Teresa, was the last to succumb. Poulenc's opera creates the character, Blanche de la Force, the timid daughter of a French nobleman. In our story she joins the Carmelite order to escape the fear and anxiety of Paris in the grip of the Reign of Terror. Towards the end of the opera the nuns vote as a group to become martyrs to uphold their religious vows. Blanche runs away from the convent, but an otherwise unanimous vote is achieved. Other dierences introduced by Poulenc are that Constance, Blanche's friend in the convent, is seemingly the last to be executed. As she awaits her turn to walk to the blade, Blanche arrives to oer herself up, joining her sisters. Blanche watches Constance sing Salve Regina as she walks to her death and then calmly follows. In a modern frame of reference, I can clearly see the inuence of "Les Dialogues des Carmelites" on Sarah Polly's feminist masterpiece, "Women Talking." One thing is sure, you'll never sing the Salve Regina the same again. Our ballet oering on Sept. 19 is one of the most celebrated works in all of classical ballet, "La Bayadère." It was an immediate hit for choreographer, Marius Petipa, and composer, Ludwig Minkus. Our production is from a 1991 Royal Ballet oering with updated choreography by prima ballerina assoluta, Natalia Makarova and features Darcey Bussell as Gamzatti. See you at the opera and/or ballet! ~ Harvey Toyama, admin@ fsbopera.org, (951) 524-3765 Opera Club Classical Music Club We are classical music lovers with an interest in sharing our love of, knowledge about, and interest in, classical music. We meet on the second Thursday of each month at 7 pm in The Lodge Theater. We listen to and watch musical selections on the big screen. Each month we focus on a particular work or several selections of one composer. We also discuss current musical performances in the area. We welcome new members. Contact Steve Benoff at steve.benoff@verizon.net or (310) 413-4896. ~ Steve Beno Dialogues of the Caremelites Isobel Leonard as Blanche de la Force e Bayadere Golden Idol

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