As vividly portrayed by the veteran mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer, the agonies and blasphemies of the prioress were painful and even shocking to witness.
Soprano Patricia Racette brought a sense of serenity and strength to the role of Madame Lidoine, who succeeds the old prioress and leads the nuns to their martyrdom.
Adrianne Pieczonka brought warmth to the role of Madame Lidoine, the Second Prioress, though both she and Irina Mishura, as the tough Mother Marie, tended to sound shrieky when loud.