Power of Music

Just heard a remarkable piece by Poulenc for the first time. It's from the end of his The Dialogues of the Carmelites opera, and is based on the execution of Carmelite nuns during the French Revolution. The all-female chorus gradually diminishes in intensity and number as, one by one, the nuns are led to the guillotine, while the remainder sing a beautiful Salve Regina. The singing is punctuated by the chilling schslisst of the falling blade, until the singing stops. Very affecting.