Want to visit a battlefield, be among the fighters, and witness the stories taking place, while putting yourself in no more danger than crying? Wolf Trap Opera makes it possible with their immersive production of Silent Night, a tale based on a most amazing thing that happened in 1914 during the first year of World War I: spontaneous truces broke out among groups of combatants who had only the day before been shooting at each other in close proximity. These events became known as the “Christmas Truce”; this partial description is taken from a Britannica webpage:
“On December 23 German soldiers began placing the [Christmas] trees outside their trenches. They sang hymns such as “Stille Nacht” (“Silent Night”), and voices from the Allied lines responded with Christmas carols of their own…As morning broke on Christmas Day, German soldiers emerged from their trenches, waving their arms to demonstrate that they had no ill intent. When it became clear that they were not carrying weapons, British soldiers soon joined them, meeting in No Man’s Land to socialize and exchange gifts.” Fraternization with the enemy is a military crime. Their commanders were not inclined to look the other way and soon put an end to truces. WWI became one of the bloodiest, deadliest, most gruesome wars ever fought, but for a few moments, peace and humanity and Christmas triumphed, aided by music and singing. The 2011 opera Silent Night by composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell is based on a screenplay by Christian Carion for the 2005 film Joyeux Noël, which was based on the real “Christmas Truce”.
l to r seated: A truce allows enemy combatants Scottish Lieutenant Gordon (Ryan Wolfe), French Lieutenant Audebert (Jacob Scharfman), and German Lieutenant Horstmayer (Andrew Gilstrap) to share in a cup of tea, while aide de camp Ponchal (Charles H. Eaton) stands by. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
This is WTO’s first production of Silent Night and the 23rd production of the opera overall since its premiere in 2011. The opera is a holiday season favorite; Washington National Opera’s production was staged during November 2018. Wolf Trap Opera’s season is summer only, but the call to peace it embodies fits current times all too well. In his comments in the program book, librettist Campbell recalls that his first foray into opera composition was a Wolf Trap Opera world premiere of his and composer John Musto’s comic opera, Volpone. He reveals the WTO version of Silent Night is a new production, pared down in scale for WTO’s smaller, more intimate venue, The Barns. He also discusses some of the changes from the screenplay in characters, themes, and songs.
The Scottish, French, and German encampments adjacent to No Man’s Land in Wolf Trap Opera’s Silent Night. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
(Spoiler Alert) The opera’s story centers on three groups of combatants - the Scottish side, the French side, and the German side - but includes personal stories of individuals from each group. Silent Night begins in August 1914 in an opera house in Berlin, where a performance by soprano Anna Sorensen and tenor Nicholaus Sprink is interrupted by an announcement of war. Sprink is conscripted into military service, and they are separated. In Scotland, William Dale urges his younger brother Jonathon to enlist in the military with him, a fatal decision. In France, Madeleine confronts Lieutenant Audebert for going to war, leaving her and their unborn child alone. These stories evolve: a brother grieves, a gentle soul makes a fatal mistake, and a couple flees to safety, while the combatant groups stop fighting each other, negotiate a Christmas Eve truce to celebrate together, and then a Christmas day ceasefire to bury their dead. We witness the soldiers building comradery as friends, joking, sharing stories, and worshipping together in a Christmas Eve mass. Then it ends with reassignments of all for having participated in the truces. It is worth noting this was early in the war, within the first five months; the combatants expected the war to be over soon. Thus, they had been exposed to hell, but had not yet gone through it.
Singers Anna (Keely Futterer) and Nikolaus (Ricardo Garcia) sing for the Kronprinz, a short distance from the battlefield. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
The communication by WTO of the important themes and messages of the opera, particularly the insanity and destructive impact of war, was highly effective. Well, how do you stage battle scenes, place three groups of soldiers on stage at the same time, and provide intimate close-ups of individuals, while also finding a place for a forty-piece orchestra in a venue that seats less than 400 attendees - with extraordinary talent and creativity. Mr. Campbell commented that Wolf Trap Opera is not about spectacle or numbers, but about musical storytelling. While I agree with that, I contend that in recent productions, WTO has moved very close to spectacle in a positive sense – with extraordinary talent and creativity. This production is worth attending just to enjoy seeing how it was done.
Father Palmer (Wm. Clay Thompson), Jonathan Dale (Martin Luther Clark), and William Dale (Kyle White) confront joining the war effort. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
The bleak landscape conveyed death and destruction, and the costumes were perfect for the different groups. The lighting conveyed mood and focused attention where needed. Kudos are in order for all, and especially for Directors Tonya and Ryan McKinny for keeping all the parts moving together to create such effective storytelling. The orchestra was placed at the back of the stage behind two see through screens for projecting images. This allowed the three groups of combatants to be placed in front of the stage where the orchestra pit would normally be. Many times the characters filed in and out down the aisles in the audience. The effectiveness of the violent scenes was somewhat diminished by the scale of the production; No Man’s Land is rather crimped. The stage was framed as though it was a painting from a bygone era. A very clever effect was to use the scrim at the opening of the stage to project individual close ups of the characters fully demonstrating the emotional trauma being experienced. Kudos to Ryan McKinny, a WTO veteran, for filming these scenes; the program book included an insert crediting all the images and videos that were projected onto the screens during the performance. Directors McKinny were extremely well supported by Lawrence Moten (scenic design), Lynly Saunders (costume design), Colin K. Bills (lighting design), Adam Larsen (video design), and Ann Nesmith (wig and makeup design), all contributing together to an excellent job of musical storytelling.
Lieutenant Audebert (Jacob Scharfman) writes a letter to his wife Madeleine (Tivoli Treloar). Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
Composer Puts’ music was highly enjoyable, often beautiful, often emotive, and supremely reflective of the scenes taking place; it has often been described as cinematic. The opera was awarded the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Music. The music is at times melodic for gentler moments and dissonant for combative ones, with softly repeated phrases that let the trauma seep in; it also includes breathtakingly beautiful arias and carols. The music was expertly played by the Wolf Trap Orchestra under the direction of Conductor Geoffrey McDonald. Despite the placement of the orchestra, Maestro McDonald kept the music in sync with the singers and at an engaging volume for the audience. A bagpipe was played by Matthew Harriman on stage as a Scottish soldier.
Ponchal (Charles H. Eaton) remembers morning coffees with his mother. Photo by Scott Suchman; courtesy of Wolf Trap Opera.
There were thirteen soloist roles in Silent Night, and as a group, WTO’s excellent, emerging young artists (Filene Artists and Studio Artists) sang well and were highly believable in their roles; additional soldiers were played by Studio Artists. The opera couple, Anna and Nikolaus, were played by soprano Keely Futterer who sang with impressive precision and feeling and tenor Ricardo Garcia who also sang well, projecting anger at the absurdity of it all. Ms. Futterer sang beautifully a very pretty carol at the Christmas service called “Dona nobis pacem”. The Scottish brothers Jonathan and William were played and sung impressively by tenor Martin Luther Clark and baritone Kyle White. Mr. Clark was touching, grieving over the loss of his brother. Lieutenant Audebert and his pregnant wife Madeleine were played with passion and longing by baritone Jacob Scharfman and mezzo-soprano Tivoli Treloar. Mr. Scharfman sang a beautiful ode to his wife after having lost his only photo of her. The lieutenants of the German and Scottish sides, Lieutenant Horstmayer and Lieutenant Gordon, were played by bass-baritone Andrew Gilstrap and baritone Ryan Wolfe. Wolfe’s Gordon seemed reasonable and self-assured while Gilstrap’s Horstmayer seemed conflicted in every direction. There were three characters that were easy to dislike, despite their excellent vocals, including the French General played by bass Le Bu and the British Major played by bass-baritone Joseph Calzada, both of whom chastised their underlings for participating in the truce. Then there was the Kronprinz, son of the Kaiser, played by Demetrius Sampson, Jr., safe in a luxurious estate, oblivious and unconcerned with the suffering going on just a few miles away. I saved two of my personal favorites for last, the Scottish Father Palmer and Ponchel, Audebert’s aide de camp, played and well sung by bass Wm. Clay Thompson and baritone Charles H. Eaton. Father Palmer exhibited such strong caring for his men, and Ponchel was such a likeable, gentle soul, clearly a casualty-in-waiting in a war. Overhall, the vocals were consistently good, and I thought this was one of Wolf Trap Opera’s best acted operas. The story here was the star, a tribute to the singer/actors I think.
l to r: The British Major (Joseph Calzada), the French General (Le Bu), and the Kronprinz (Demetrius Sampson Jr.) put an end to the truces inhibiting their war efforts.
Directors Tonya and Ryan McKinny in their program notes make the point that art is the opposite of war: art is about making connections and war is about destroying them. Silent Night is a marvelous work of art that makes a powerful statement about our commonality and how much we have to enjoy through peaceful coexistence, and how much to lose, when resorting to violence. Wolf Trap Opera’s production of it is creative, immersive, and impactful. This is a contemporary opera about the human heart, as are all operas I think, of a quality worthy of remaining in the repertoire, and more…a reminder of the past much needed today, even in August. In a world where people can embrace each other one day and shoot at each other the next, let the word go out - make art, not war…at the very least, don’t make war.
The Fan Experience: Performances of Silent Night were scheduled for August 9, 11, 15, and 17. in The Barns at Wolf Trap. The opera is sung in English, German, and French with English surtitles shown overhead. The performance lasted about 3 hours including a 20-minute intermission.
The pre-opera talk for this production was given one hour prior to the performance by Fight Director Casey Kaleba. He provided historical background for the opera and an interesting discussion on the challenges involved in staging fights and battles. This was an excellent lecture, though more info introducing the opera itself might have been helpful. An audio recording of “Silent Night” performed by the Minnesota Opera is available through retail and many music streaming services.
The Barns overall is an excellent venue for opera, intimate with good acoustics. Even the seats at the back and in the balcony are relatively close to the performers, but some of those in the very front and seats in the back on the floor lack a view of the surtitles. The floor seats are not tiered but those in the balcony are; some balcony seats are restricted view by structural posts. Food and beverages are available before the performances and during intermissions; drinks are allowed in the theater. During DC’s hot and humid summers, it has excellent air-conditioning. Parking is free, plentiful and is easy-in/easy-out.