Pulitzer Prize-Winning Opera ‘Silent Night’ To Make West Coast Premiere at Opera San Jose in February

By David Salazar

Back on Christmas Eve of December 1914, the battling armies of World War I created a temporary truce that allowed them to enjoy the holidays without fear of murdering one another.

That evening a Christmas Miracle, if there ever was one, took place, a wondrous event that became the subject of many works including a 2005 film called “Joyeux Noel” and an opera entitled “Silent Night.” The latter is slated to make its West Coast Premiere at Opera San Jose next February.

The work, composed by Kevin Puts and written by Mark Campbell, was the winner of the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music. It made its world premiere in November 2011 and has since been showcased in Philadelphia, Fort Worth, Cincinnati, Wexford, Calgary, Kansas City, Montreal, Atlanta and Michigan.

The opera is sung in English, French, German, Italian and Latin and lasts close to three hours. San Jose’s production kicks off on Feb. 11 and runs for six performances through Feb. 26. Joseph Marcheso will conduct. There will also be a preview event on January 31 at 12 p.m.

After its run of “Silent Night,” Opera San Jose is slated to showcase Puccini’s classic masterpiece “La Boheme starting on April 15. The opera closes out the company’s season on April 30.

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