Monday, November 21, 2011

"Silent Night"


Jim and I attended one of the performances of the world premier opera, Silent Night,  recounting the Christmas Eve truce of 1914 during World War I. "Based on Christian Carlon's screenplay for  his 2005 film, "Joyeux Noel," it tells the parallel and eventually intersecting stories of opposing soldiers who step out of Belgian trenches to celebrate Christmas together in 1914." The Opera was spectacular and I have never been part of a more enthusiastic audience...anywhere, even at the Santa Fe Opera!  The third performance which we saw was totally sold out, based upon well-deserved reviews.   The composer, a very young and very handsome Kevin Puts, has created a sizeable body of works for orchestra, but this is his first opera. Mark Campbell, the librettist, is described as "one of the most in-demand librettist in opera today."

The lobby of the beautiful Ordway Center for the Performing Arts had show cases that displayed  authentic uniforms and artifacts of the French, German, and British (Scottish troops) Armies of World War I.

Click here and here (this one is a fascinating article on Puts, the composer) to read reviews of "Silent Night" in one of our local newspapers. Read the background and fascinating account of the Christmas Truce here at firstworldwar.com.




11 comments:

  1. belle expo et la derniere photo est tres belle, avec cette lumiere

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  2. I saw "Joyeux Noel" at the cinema, my grandfather was in Flanders fields in WW1. I think all politicians should be made to watch films like that at least once per year.

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  3. Sounds wonderful. You are lucky to have seen it.

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  4. Such an exciting event. Thanks for sharing with us!

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  5. Yes, It sounds like a wonderful evening!

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  6. I know a lot about the Christmas Truce, but nothing about this brand new opera...

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  7. I know this story but did not know about the opera. I can imagine how emotional it must have been. And what better way to celebrate the raising of a roof!

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  8. The Christmas truce is an amazing story (probably would never happen nowadays) and I think it's great that someone has written an opera about it!

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  9. Sounds like an interesting piece. I'd love to see it myself!

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  10. It is exciting to hear of a wonderful new opera. So much of the standard repertoire is overdone. I would have enjoyed hearing and seeing it. The famous Christmas Truce is a perfect subject for a new opera.

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  11. Sounds like a wonderful evening.

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