Christmas Eve, 1914, Europe’s
Western Front. Bloodied from battle and mourning the dead, soldiers lament a seemingly endless war. As evening sets in, a carol begins, floating softly over the trenches. One voice becomes many, and would-be enemies lay down their arms to celebrate a precious night of peace and hope. the opera Cincinnati Opera proudly honors the centenary of World War I with Silent Night, an inspiring new opera drawn from true events and based on the 2005 film Joyeux Noël. The Associated Press hailed Kevin Puts’s sweeping score as “reminiscent of Britten, Poulenc, and even Puccini.” Our extraordinary ensemble features Thomas Blondelle as Sprink, a German opera singer conscripted into fighting, who reaches across the trenches with song. Erin Wall, possessing a voice of “radiance, pristine beauty, and tingling top notes” (Financial Times), is Anna, Sprink’s beloved. Phillip Addis, Craig Irvin, and Gabriel Preisser portray opposing military officers struggling to cope with war’s atrocities.
Erin Wall Anna Sørensen
Phillip Addis Lt. Audebert
Silent Night
Music by Kevin Puts Libretto by Mark Campbell Anna Sørensen Erin Wall Nikolaus Sprink Thomas Blondelle Lieutenant Audebert Phillip Addis Lieutenant Horstmayer Craig Irvin Lieutenant Gordon Gabriel Preisser Ponchel Andrew Wilkowske Jonathan Dale Thomas Glenn William Dale Tyler Alessi Kronprinz Thomas Cooley British Major Thomas Dreeze French General Kenneth Shaw
Conductor David Charles Abell Stage Director Eric Simonson Scenic Designer Francis O’Connor Costume Designer Kärin Kopischke Lighting Designer Marcus Dillard Projection Designer Andrzej Goulding Hair & Make-up Designer James D. Geier Chorus Master Henri Venanzi Sung in English, French, German, and Italian with projected translation. Performance length: 2 hours and 25 minutes
Thursday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, July 12 at 7:30 p.m.
Music Hall
Scenery and costumes for Silent Night were constructed at The Minnesota Opera and are jointly owned by The Minnesota Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Philadelphia, and Fort Worth Opera.
Thomas Blondelle Nikolaus Sprink
WINNER OF THE 2012 PULITZER PRIZE FOR MUSIC
Craig Irvin Lt. Horstmayer
Gabriel Preisser Lt. Gordon
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