Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts an early rehearsal for the Met Opera’s production “Dialogues des Carmélites.” Working with the cast, Yannick explores the meaning of the song “Ave Maria” and what the prayer means to the characters in that moment of the opera.
TRANSCRIPT
[The cast of Dialogues des Carmélites sing 'Ave Maria']. Ok ok, let's breath. [Yannick speaks Italian to the cast]. It shouldn't sound... Like we're all trained in music. Like a choir song, like we are in choir school.
It is a real prayer. Yeah.
So when I was chorus master for it a million years ago, I actually prepared it like a true chorus master, like, oh, this, you know.
I said to my girls, like, 'Oh, you know, this should be really a prayer.' So almost no vibrato, and this and that.
And I was very happy. And Poulenc writes 'trèès lié.' And now, you know, fast forward, this is where it's good to get older. You know?
It's like, like, 'Well, no duh. Because I remember thinking, 'Oh, he's out of style.' Yeah. No, it's actually all their fear, love, comfort, longing.
It's all in that prayer.
