| Puts, Kevin (b. 1972) | Silent Night (Semi-staged) | Libretto by Mark Campbell |
| Opera North | ||
| Nicholas Kok | Conductor | |
| Tim Albery | Director | |
| Hannah Clark | Set Designer, Costume Designer | |
| Orchestra of Opera North | ||
| Chorus of Opera North | ||
| Royal Northern College of Music Chorus | ||
| Máire Flavin | Soprano | Anne Sorensen |
| Ru Charlesworth | Tenor | Nikolaus Sprink |
| Quirijn de Lang | Bass-baritone | Lieutenant Audebert |
| Timothy Nelson | Bass-baritone | Lieutenant Gordon |
| Richard Burkhard | Baritone | Lieutenant Horstmayer |
| Geoffrey Dolton | Baritone | Ponchel |
| Adrian Clarke | Baritone | Father Palmer |
| Alex Banfield | Tenor | Jonathan Dale |
| Stephen Richardson | Bass | General Audebert |
| Tim Ochala-Greenough | Tenor | Kronprinz |
| Christopher Nairne | Baritone | William Dale |
| Laura Kelly-McInroy | Mezzo-soprano | Madeleine Audebert |
| Dean Robinson | Bass | British Major |
Sung in English, French and German, with English titles
Inspired by a true story – as depicted in the 2005 film Joyeux Noël – Silent Night tells the story of the 1914 Christmas truce, when peace spontaneously broke out between French, German and Scottish troops in the trenches during the First World War. Lyrical, cinematic and expressive, the Pulitzer Prize-winning score by American composer Kevin Puts is combined with a multilingual libretto by Mark Campbell to create a richly textured, deeply affecting contemporary work.
German opera singer Nikolaus Sprink, now a soldier, is ordered to perform for the Crown Prince Wilhelm, behind the front line on Christmas Eve, 1914. Back at the front later that night, upon hearing some of the Scottish soldiers singing, Sprink responds with a rousing song, and raises a Christmas tree above the bunker. Yet the moment of hope and humanity that follows proves to be only a brief respite from the futility and horror of the War.
Directed by Tim Albery, this U.K. premiere production of Silent Night will be semi-staged at Leeds Town Hall, as part of a series of events in Leeds marking the centenary of the end of WWI.
