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The announcement disrupts the careers and personal lives of international opera singers. . .
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Synopsis of Silent Night
Prologue
Late summer, 1914
War is declared. At a Berlin opera house, the announcement disrupts the careers and personal lives of international opera singers Anna Sørensen and Nikolaus Sprink. In a small church in Scotland, it inspires dreams of heroism in William who demands that his younger brother Jonathan immediately enlist with him, as their priest, Father Palmer, looks helplessly on. In the apartment of the Audeberts in Paris, it angers Madeleine who excoriates her husband for leaving to fight while she is pregnant with their first child. Amid the fervor of nationalistic songs, the men prepare to leave for war.
Act I
In and around a battlefield in Belgium, near the French border, around Christmas
Scene one – December 23, late afternoon A horrific battle is fought between the Germans and the French and Scottish. An attempt by the French and Scottish soldiers to infiltrate the German bunker fails miserably; corpses begin to pile up in the no-man’s land between the three bunkers. When William is shot, Jonathan must leave his brother behind to die.
Scene two – December 23, evening In the Scottish bunker, Lieutenant Gordon assesses the casualties after the battle. Father Palmer attempts to offer solace to Jonathan in prayer.
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In the French bunker, Lieutenant Audebert discovers the French General waiting in his makeshift office who reprimands him for surrendering and threatens him with a transfer. The General leaves and Audebert laments the loss of his wife’s photograph to his aide de camp, Ponchel. When he is alone Audebert tallies the casualties in the last battle, while missing Madeleine and their child who he has not yet seen. He sings of needing sleep, a sentiment echoed by all of the soldiers. As it starts to snow, covering the corpses in no-man’s land, the soldiers slowly begin to sleep. Alone in the German bunker, Nikolaus, reveals to an imagined Anna his despair about war.
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Scene three – December 24, morning In the German bunker, crates have arrived – and little Christmas trees from the Kronprinz. Lieutenant Horstmayer criticizes the Kronprinz for not sending them more useful presents, like ammunition and reinforcements. He receives a directive from headquarters that Nikolaus has been ordered to sing at the nearby chalet of the Kronprinz, along with one Anna Sørensen. Nikolaus departs for the chalet, excited that he will be reunited with Anna again after many months apart.
The French soldiers have received crates of wine, sausages and chocolates from the quartermaster and open them jubilantly. Ponchel, a barber by trade, brings coffee to Audebert and sits him down for a haircut. He is reminded of having coffee with his mother every morning, who lives only an hour away by foot. The alarm clock he carries next to his heart at all times (which shielded him from a bullet in the last battle) rings at ten o’clock every morning to remind him of their daily meeting.
In the Scottish bunker, crates of whiskey have arrived from home. Jonathan writes a letter to his mother, not mentioning his brother’s death.
Scene four – December 24, early evening At the chalet of the Kronprinz, Anna and Nikolaus perform a duet. Following the performance, they steal a few moments on a terrace outside. Anna notices the cruel effect war has had on her lover’s spirit. She has arranged for Nikolaus to spend the night with her and is angry when he says he must return to his fellow soldiers. She vows to accompany him back to the battlefield.
Scene five – December 24, night In the French bunker, Gueusselin volunteers to infiltrate the German bunker, and with several grenades, sidles onto no-man’s land. The Scottish soldiers drink whiskey and play a bagpipe that another unit has sent them, as Father Palmer sings a sentimental ballad about home. The men in the other bunkers hear the song and react to it with sadness, caution and annoyance. Nikolaus arrives; his fellow soldiers greet him with cheers and applause and gasp in amazement at seeing Anna with him. When the song in the Scottish bunker is finished, Nikolaus sings a rousing Christmas song loudly in response and midway through the bagpiper begins to accompany. Emboldened, Nikolaus stands atop the bunker raising a Christmas tree as a gesture of friendship. Against the protestations of their superiors, the soldiers from all bunkers stand. Nikolaus bravely moves to the center of no-man’s land. Gueusselin abandons his plan to grenade the German bunker.
Eventually, the three lieutenants, waving a white flag of truce, agree to a cease-fire … but only on Christmas Eve. The soldiers slowly and cautiously move toward each other. They share their provisions, their photos and their names. Anna appears and all of the soldiers are awed by the sight of a woman. Father Palmer has set up a makeshift church and celebrates mass with the men, while Jonathan finds his brother’s body and vows revenge. Father Palmer finishes the mass and urges the men to “go in peace” as bombs explode menacingly in the distance.
Act II
Scene one – December 25, dawn The following morning, Jonathan tries to bury his brother. Because the truce is officially over, two German sentries are prepared to shoot him, although Father Palmer and Lieutenant Gordon intervene. Looking on, Horstmayer proposes that it may indeed be time to bury all of the dead. The three lieutenants meet and decide over coffee that the truce will be extended until after the dead in no-man’s land are buried.
Scene two – December 25, late morning, early afternoon The soldiers pile up the corpses, Father Palmer delivers last rites and the soldiers form a processional bearing the wagon of bodies away. Anna looks on with Nikolaus and promises that he will not suffer the same fate.
Scene three – December 25, all day In the meantime, news of the cease-fire has reached headquarters, and the British Major, the Kronprinz and the French General all react in anger and disbelief. They declare that they will punish the soldiers for their betrayal.
Scene four – December 25, evening Lieutenant Horstmayer prepares to return to war and Nikolaus berates him for his allegiance to the Fatherland. Horstmayer arrests Nikolaus for insubordination, but Anna takes his hand firmly and leads him across no-man’s land as Horstmayer orders his men to shoot, but no one moves. Reaching the French bunker unharmed, Nikolaus regains his voice and demands asylum for he and Anna.
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Scene five – December 26, late morning The British Major admonishes the Scottish soldiers for participating in the Christmas truce. They are to be transferred to the front lines. When a German soldier is seen crossing the battlefield, the Major orders him killed. Jonathan complies and dispassionately shoots the man.
Lieutenant Audebert returns to his small office and discovers the French General there. The General tells Audebert that he will be transferred to Verdun as punishment for consorting with the enemy and that his unit will be disbanded. Audebert informs the French General – his father – that he has learned he has an infant son named Henri. They vow to survive the war for the child’s sake.
The Kronprinz angrily announces that the German soldiers are to be deployed in Pomerania as punishment. As the soldiers are taken off in a boxcar, they hum the Scottish ballad they heard in the bunker on Christmas Eve. The battlefield is now completely empty. Snow begins to fall again.
Getting Closer To Silent Night
Watch + Listen Wednesday
Check out some of the videos from Minnesota Opera’s silent Night workshop. For more videos Check out http://mnopera.org/watchlisten#tab=3 and get a better look.
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He Can Have His Cake and Eat It Too…
Watch + Listen Wednesday
Are you looking for a taste of Così fan tutte? Take a little sample and let us know what you think about our sassy treat…
More interviews and music clips at www.mnopera.org/watchlisten.
Laugh It Off and Observe the Lessons
Watch + Listen Wednesday
Act I
Scene one – a coffee shop Don Alfonso questions the fidelity of sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, whose goodness Guglielmo and Ferrando vehemently affirm. Still skeptical, Alfonso suggests the two officers put their girlfriends to the test. A wager of a hundred zecchini is at stake, and the two young men already plan how to spend what they believe to be easy money – Ferrando shall hire a band of players to serenade his beloved, while Guglielmo shall throw a lavish party. They accept the challenge.
(Act I, scene 1: Vienna State Opera, 1983: Directed by Riccardo Muti with James Morris as Guglielmo, Francisco Araiza as Ferrando and Sesto Bruscantini as Don Alfonso)
Scene two – a garden near the seashore Fiordiligi and Dorabella admire miniatures of their respective boyfriends, whom they compare to Adonis and Apollo. Fiordiligi suddenly has a strange sense of apprehension, and shortly after, Don Alfonso drops in with some dreadful news. Guglielmo and Ferrando have been called up for active duty in the army and must depart that very morning. As the two soldiers arrive to bid farewell, the ladies swoon, knowing they will languish in their lovers’ absence. Promising to write often, the men depart to the march of a soldiers’ chorus. Don Alfonso is pleased with the progress of his plan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMY3Ou9L5xE
(Act I, scene 2 Trio: “Soave sia il vento” — “May the wind be gentle” at Paris Opera Garnier, 1996: Susan Chilcott as Fiordiligi, Susan Graham as Dorabella and William Shimell as Don Alfonso.)
Scene three – a room inside the villa Despina disdainfully prepares her ladies’ breakfast chocolate. She steals a tiny sip and is nearly caught by the two sisters, who enter despairingly. Once familiar with the cause of their distress, Despina shrugs it off. Why not look at the bright side and take new lovers in their stead – that’s what the men are likely to do. She has found one can’t find constancy in soldiers or gentlemen. Both women are shocked at the suggestion.
(Act I, scene 3 Aria: “In uomini, in soldati, sperare fedeltà?” —”In men, in soldiers, you hope for faithfulness?” at Metropolitan Opera, 1996: Cecilia Bartoli as Despina.)
Don Alfonso sees Despina as a valuable ally to his scheming, but he can’t let her in on all of the details. He finds that a little money will make her a willing accomplice. She agrees to make the villa accessible to two Albanian soldiers, who are entranced by the ladies. Despina meets them at the door and is surprised by their unusual appearance – she does not recognize the disguised Guglielmo and Ferrando.
Fiordiligi and Dorabella are angered by the intrusion of the suitors, who immediately and inappropriately profess their love. The two men pretend to recognize Don Alfonso as their former tutor, but this extra credibility does nothing to impress the two sisters. They order the intruders out of their house of virtue. Further pleading does not break the ladies’ indomitable will, and they brusquely leave the room. Guglielmo and Ferrando are reassured by their lovers’ steadfast devotion.
The day is not over yet, observes Alfonso. They must pursue the sisters in the garden. He confers with Despina, who is certain her vapid employers will eventually capitulate. They strategize their next move.
Scene four – a garden Fiordiligi and Dorabella overhear the men’s desperate cries – if the ladies won’t have them, then death is the only alternative. Appearing before them, Guglielmo and Ferrando each pretend to take a draught of arsenic. Horrified, the sisters have Despina fetch a doctor and try to comfort the dying men. The doctor soon arrives (really Despina in disguise) and provides a fashionable cure using a large magnet. It works like a charm, and the men begin to revive, begging for a kiss to ensure a complete recovery. The indignant sisters refuse.
(Act 1, scene 4: Finale at Glyndebourne, 2006: Luca Pisaronin as Guglielmo, Miah Persson as Fiordiligi, Topi Lehtipuu as Ferrando, Anke Vondung as Dorabella, Ainhoa Garmendia as Despina and Nicolas Rivenq as Don Alfonso.)
Act II
Scene one – a room Despina continues to deride her employers’ priggish attitudes – why not have a little harmless fun while their boyfriends are away? If people talk, the sisters can claim the men were calling upon her. Dorabella is the first to see reason. They should seek a brief diversion to alleviate their melancholy. Once their beaus are back, the affairs shall be over. She’ll take the dark one (Guglielmo) while Fiordiligi may have the fair one (Ferrando).
(Act II, scene 1 Duet: “Prenderò quel brunettino”—”I will take the dark one” at Metropolitan Opera, 1996: Carol Vaness as Fiordiligi and Susanne Mentzer as Dorabella)
Scene two – a garden near the seashore Still disguised, Guglielmo and Ferrando have hired a barge with musicians, and serenade their paramours. The sisters are quite taken aback and need a little more coaxing from Don Alfonso and Despina. The plan now is to divide and conquer. Privately, Guglielmo gives Dorabella a heart-shaped pendant, exchanging it for the miniature of Ferrando. Fiordiligi is more resistant, yet is forced to wrestle with her conscience after Ferrando’s frank admission of love.
The two men compare notes, and Ferrando is shocked to discover his miniature in Guglielmo’s possession. He is crushed by Dorabella’s faithlessness, and Guglielmo provides little comfort.
(Act II, scene 1 Aria: “Per pietà, ben mio, perdona” —”Please, my beloved, forgive” from the 1988 Jean-Pierre Ponnelle film: Edita Gruberova as Fiordiligi.)
Scene three – a room Dorabella confides in Despina her recent acquiescence to her Albanian’s affections. Fiordiligi enters, angered by the uncontrollable desire blossoming in her heart. To create some distance, she instructs Despina to get their fiancés’ uniforms from the closet. She will go to the battlefront to be with Guglielmo – she encourages Dorabella to do the same.
Ferrando enters and begins to woo Fiordiligi with renewed zeal. Her resolve finally falters, and she gives in to his entreaties. Guglielmo is furious when he discovers what has happened, and he and his friend plan their retaliation. Don Alfonso suggests a fake wedding ceremony for the grand denouement and sagely reminds them of his earlier premise – they are women, after all, and women are all like that. Despina confirms the ladies are amenable to marriage.
(Act II, Scene 2 Duet: “Fra gli amplessi” — “In the embraces” at Piccolo Teatro di Milano, 1998: Jonas Kaufmann as Ferrando and Eteri Gvazava as Fiordiligi.)
Scene four – an elegantly prepared salon Despina instructs the servants to ready the house for a festive celebration. The two couples enter jubilantly as the men conceal their rage. Again disguised, Despina officiates as the notary, and the ladies (only) sign the marriage contracts. Suddenly, drums are heard in the distance – their former boyfriends have returned from battle. Flustered, Fiordiligi and Dorabella hide their new spouses in another room and scramble for an explanation.
Guglielmo and Ferrando reenter, now dressed as themselves, and question their lovers’ uneasy demeanor. They discover the marriage contracts and angrily demand to see their rivals. Don Alfonso points them to the hiding place, and the men go inside, only to emerge later in partial disguise, thus revealing the ruse. The duped women sheepishly return to their original partners. Despina is shocked to find that she too was deceived, Don Alfonso advises everyone to laugh it off and all observe the lessons of their misadventure.
(Act II, scene 4: Finale at Salzburg Festival, 2009: Miah Persson as Fiordiligi, Isabel Leonard as Dorabella, Patricia Petibon as Despina, Topi Lehtipuu as Ferrando, Florian Boesch as Guglielmo and Bo Skovhus as Don Alfonso.)
Laugh It Off and Observe the Lessons
Watch + Listen Wednesday
Act I
Scene one – a coffee shop Don Alfonso questions the fidelity of sisters Fiordiligi and Dorabella, whose goodness Guglielmo and Ferrando vehemently affirm. Still skeptical, Alfonso suggests the two officers put their girlfriends to the test. A wager of a hundred zecchini is at stake, and the two young men already plan how to spend what they believe to be easy money – Ferrando shall hire a band of players to serenade his beloved, while Guglielmo shall throw a lavish party. They accept the challenge.
- Act I, scene 1: Vienna State Opera, 1983: Directed by Riccardo Muti with James Morris as Guglielmo, Francisco Araiza as Ferrando and Sesto Bruscantini as Don Alfonso
Scene two – a garden near the seashore Fiordiligi and Dorabella admire miniatures of their respective boyfriends, whom they compare to Adonis and Apollo. Fiordiligi suddenly has a strange sense of apprehension, and shortly after, Don Alfonso drops in with some dreadful news. Guglielmo and Ferrando have been called up for active duty in the army and must depart that very morning. As the two soldiers arrive to bid farewell, the ladies swoon, knowing they will languish in their lovers’ absence. Promising to write often, the men depart to the march of a soldiers’ chorus. Don Alfonso is pleased with the progress of his plan.
- Act I, scene 2 Trio: “Soave sia il vento” — “May the wind be gentle” at Paris Opera Garnier, 1996: Susan Chilcott as Fiordiligi, Susan Graham as Dorabella and William Shimell as Don Alfonso.
Scene three – a room inside the villa Despina disdainfully prepares her ladies’ breakfast chocolate. She steals a tiny sip and is nearly caught by the two sisters, who enter despairingly. Once familiar with the cause of their distress, Despina shrugs it off. Why not look at the bright side and take new lovers in their stead – that’s what the men are likely to do. She has found one can’t find constancy in soldiers or gentlemen. Both women are shocked at the suggestion.
- Act I, scene 3 Aria: “In uomini, in soldati, sperare fedeltà?” —”In men, in soldiers, you hope for faithfulness?” at Metropolitan Opera, 1996: Cecilia Bartoli as Despina.
Don Alfonso sees Despina as a valuable ally to his scheming, but he can’t let her in on all of the details. He finds that a little money will make her a willing accomplice. She agrees to make the villa accessible to two Albanian soldiers, who are entranced by the ladies. Despina meets them at the door and is surprised by their unusual appearance – she does not recognize the disguised Guglielmo and Ferrando.
Fiordiligi and Dorabella are angered by the intrusion of the suitors, who immediately and inappropriately profess their love. The two men pretend to recognize Don Alfonso as their former tutor, but this extra credibility does nothing to impress the two sisters. They order the intruders out of their house of virtue. Further pleading does not break the ladies’ indomitable will, and they brusquely leave the room. Guglielmo and Ferrando are reassured by their lovers’ steadfast devotion.
The day is not over yet, observes Alfonso. They must pursue the sisters in the garden. He confers with Despina, who is certain her vapid employers will eventually capitulate. They strategize their next move.
Scene four – a garden Fiordiligi and Dorabella overhear the men’s desperate cries – if the ladies won’t have them, then death is the only alternative. Appearing before them, Guglielmo and Ferrando each pretend to take a draught of arsenic. Horrified, the sisters have Despina fetch a doctor and try to comfort the dying men. The doctor soon arrives (really Despina in disguise) and provides a fashionable cure using a large magnet. It works like a charm, and the men begin to revive, begging for a kiss to ensure a complete recovery. The indignant sisters refuse.
- Act 1, scene 4: Finale at Glyndebourne, 2006: Luca Pisaronin as Guglielmo, Miah Persson as Fiordiligi, Topi Lehtipuu as Ferrando, Anke Vondung as Dorabella, Ainhoa Garmendia as Despina and Nicolas Riven
Act II
Scene one – a room Despina continues to deride her employers’ priggish attitudes – why not have a little harmless fun while their boyfriends are away? If people talk, the sisters can claim the men were calling upon her. Dorabella is the first to see reason. They should seek a brief diversion to alleviate their melancholy. Once their beaus are back, the affairs shall be over. She’ll take the dark one (Guglielmo) while Fiordiligi may have the fair one (Ferrando).
- Act II, scene 1 Duet: “Prenderò quel brunettino”—”I will take the dark one” at Metropolitan Opera, 1996: Carol Vaness as Fiordiligi and Susanne Mentzer as Dorabella
Scene two – a garden near the seashore Still disguised, Guglielmo and Ferrando have hired a barge with musicians, and serenade their paramours. The sisters are quite taken aback and need a little more coaxing from Don Alfonso and Despina. The plan now is to divide and conquer. Privately, Guglielmo gives Dorabella a heart-shaped pendant, exchanging it for the miniature of Ferrando. Fiordiligi is more resistant, yet is forced to wrestle with her conscience after Ferrando’s frank admission of love.
The two men compare notes, and Ferrando is shocked to discover his miniature in Guglielmo’s possession. He is crushed by Dorabella’s faithlessness, and Guglielmo provides little comfort.
- Act II, scene 1 Aria: “Per pietà, ben mio, perdona” —”Please, my beloved, forgive” from the 1988 Jean-Pierre Ponnelle film: Edita Gruberova as Fiordiligi.
Scene three – a room Dorabella confides in Despina her recent acquiescence to her Albanian’s affections. Fiordiligi enters, angered by the uncontrollable desire blossoming in her heart. To create some distance, she instructs Despina to get their fiancés’ uniforms from the closet. She will go to the battlefront to be with Guglielmo – she encourages Dorabella to do the same.
Ferrando enters and begins to woo Fiordiligi with renewed zeal. Her resolve finally falters, and she gives in to his entreaties. Guglielmo is furious when he discovers what has happened, and he and his friend plan their retaliation. Don Alfonso suggests a fake wedding ceremony for the grand denouement and sagely reminds them of his earlier premise – they are women, after all, and women are all like that. Despina confirms the ladies are amenable to marriage.
- Act II, Scene 2 Duet: “Fra gli amplessi” — “In the embraces” at Piccolo Teatro di Milano, 1998: Jonas Kaufmann as Ferrando and Eteri Gvazava as Fiordiligi.
Scene four – an elegantly prepared salon Despina instructs the servants to ready the house for a festive celebration. The two couples enter jubilantly as the men conceal their rage. Again disguised, Despina officiates as the notary, and the ladies (only) sign the marriage contracts. Suddenly, drums are heard in the distance – their former boyfriends have returned from battle. Flustered, Fiordiligi and Dorabella hide their new spouses in another room and scramble for an explanation.
Guglielmo and Ferrando reenter, now dressed as themselves, and question their lovers’ uneasy demeanor. They discover the marriage contracts and angrily demand to see their rivals. Don Alfonso points them to the hiding place, and the men go inside, only to emerge later in partial disguise, thus revealing the ruse. The duped women sheepishly return to their original partners. Despina is shocked to find that she too was deceived, Don Alfonso advises everyone to laugh it off and all observe the lessons of their misadventure.
- Act II, scene 4: Finale at Salzburg Festival, 2009: Miah Persson as Fiordiligi, Isabel Leonard as Dorabella, Patricia Petibon as Despina, Topi Lehtipuu as Ferrando, Florian Boesch as Guglielmo and Bo Skovhus as Don Alfonso.
Postcard from the Fair – Minnesota Opera Resident Artists Cover Backstreet Boys
Watch+Listen Wednesday
After another successful “Opera on a Stick” as we like to call the annual visit to MPR’s Stage at the Great Minnesota Get Together, our bright young Resident Artists let their hair down at Dino’s Karaoke Stage. This just proves that even opera singers know how to have fun.
Speaking of fun times with Minnesota Opera singers, here is our season commercial, which has been getting snaps from coast to coast. Thank you Adriana Zabala!