Denounced as “enemies of the people.”
@RobertEllsberg @RobertEllsberg
17 Jul 2019
July 17 Feast of the Carmelite Martyrs of Compiegne, inspiration for Poulenc’s Dialogues Des Carmelites (final scene / Salve Regina) piped.video/Cd9EFJaURmI via @YouTube. They went to the guillotine singing the Salve Regina. Witnesses said, as if going to their wedding.
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The first time I saw that opera at the Metropolitan Opera house I nearly keeled over. That was in the 90's... it has remained a favorite since then. That final scene is breathtaking. And a reminder of who precisely would be an enemy of the state, when the state is run by evil.
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Replying to @FranSzpylczyn
Me too—a standing room ticket at the Met in the 1970s. The Srs go to their deaths singing the Salve Regina, their numbers steadily decreased bythe guillotine’s WHACK. Yet when the last voice is stilled, you sense that their prayer will outlast the hatred of their executioners.

Jul 17, 2020 · 12:17 PM UTC
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