Dialogues des Carmelites at the Met. (Photo by Ken Howard)

For more than 40 years, the magnificent opening image from Francis Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites seen above has served as an icon for the Met—and not only to advertise this opera.

The production (by director John Dexter, scenic designer David Reppa, and lighting designer Gil Wechsler) more generally represents the company at its absolute best. Let that be a lesson. The strength of Dexter’s Dialogues lies in its elegant simplicity…

Read the full review at Parterre Box.