Utah Opera's Silent Night

Last night I had the opportunity to see Utah Opera's wonderful production of Silent Night which depicts an actual ceasefire that happened on Christmas Eve in 1914.  World War I is very meaningful to me because of my great-grandfather so I knew that I would enjoy this opera but I absolutely loved it because every aspect of this production is outstanding.  I was moved to tears multiple times.  In Berlin, an opera performance featuring Nikolaus Sprink (Andrew Stenson) and Anna Sorensen (Abigail Rethwisch) is interrupted by the news that Germany is at war.  In a small town in Scotland, William Dale (Stephen Pace) dreams of glory and urges his younger brother Jonathan (Jonathan Johnson) to enlist with him.  In Paris, Madeleine Audebert (Quinn Middleman) is angry that her husband (Efrain Solis) is leaving to go to war while she is pregnant with their first child.  The war commences with some dramatic sequences, including an ill-fated battle between the German, Scottish, and French troops where William is shot.  Jonathan is forced to leave him behind and is comforted by Father Palmer (Troy Cook).  Lieutenant Audebert writes his report of the battle and laments that he has lost his wife's photo (in an incredibly beautiful aria that moved me to tears and not for the last time).  Nikolaus sings of his despair to his memory of Anna.  As all of the soldiers go to sleep, snow begins softly falling (it is a beautiful image).   Anna has arranged for Nikolaus to perform with her for the Kronprinz on Christmas Eve but, after the performance, he insists that he must return to his men so she joins him on the battlefield.  He hears the Scottish regiment singing (with bagpipes) a song filled with longing for home so he begins singing a German Christmas carol.  Soon all of the soldiers are singing, prompting the leaders of the three regiments to meet in no-man's land to arrange a ceasefire for Christmas Eve.  Father Palmer leads them in a mass and then Anna sings an a capella song of peace by candlelight (another beautiful moment that moved me to tears).  My audience literally held their breath through this song and then there was an audible sigh when all of the candles were blown out.  In the morning the ceasefire is over and Jonathan is almost shot in no-man's land.  When it is discovered that he was burying William's body, the leaders once again agree to a ceasefire so that each regiment can bury their dead.  All of the soldiers salute the dead and then there is a plaintive sound of a bagpipe (this just about did me in).  The soldiers come to see the futility of war but each regiment is berated by their commanding officer and ordered to resume the hostilities.  The story is incredibly poignant, the music is simply gorgeous (particularly the music depicting a sunrise on the battlefield), and every singer gives a lovely performance (I was especially impressed with Rethwisch and Solis).  The costumes and all of the props are authentic to the period (I was impressed with the number of guns) and I really enjoyed the use of projections (especially during the battle sequences.)  The Scottish, French, and German bunkers are made of granite and are placed in three tiers on top of each other.  (Spoiler alert!)  These tiers are then transformed into a monument to the fallen at the end of the opera and when the last soldiers leave the stage they reveal poppies at the edge of it (moving me once more to tears).  This opera is beautiful, moving, and very powerful!  I highly recommend getting a ticket to one of the two performances remaining (go here).