"Silent Night"

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. 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. Philip Addis, Craig Irvin, and Gabriel Preisser portray opposing military officers struggling to cope with war's atrocities.