Of all the pointless wars ever fought The Great War, or World War I as it eventually became known, was one of the most pointless.
On the first Christmas Eve, 1914, during a lull in the fighting, with German troops on one side of the trench and French and British troops on the other, the soldiers heard their “enemies” singing Christmas carols across the divide. An informal “truce” was declared and the “enemy” factions joined together to sing carols, trade cigarettes and booze, and discover the common humanity that they all shared.
Christian Carion made a compelling film from the true story called Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas).
A few years later Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell turned it into a Pulitzer Prize-winning opera called Silent Night. I saw the opera here in Philadelphia and it was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve ever witnessed.
Next year that opera will finally have its long overdue Metropolitan Opera premiere March 8 through April 3. Tickets go on sale in June. I can only hope that the Met will televise it.
How do you get to Carnegie Hall?
One way is to watch the new video from the Bowery Boys, where they cover the history of that fabled concert hall. From its first performance featuring Chaikovsky through Leonard Bernstein’s historic debut into the 50s when Isaac Stern kept the hall from being torn down to the 60s and the performances of Judy Garland and the Beatles—it’s all there.
