Until the pre-opera talk by the HGO artistic director, I didn’t realize this was the third opera I’ve seen written by composer Kevin Puts. That puts him in the same group as Handel, Donizetti, Bellini, and Massenet, and he is certainly the most modern of that crew.
Just like the performances of Elizabeth Cree and The Hours I saw in 2024 (at Glimmerglass and the Met, respectively), Puts continues to raise the bar for contemporary opera. In this new co-production of the 2011 opera Silent Night, the cast, sets, costumes and direction all came together for a great experience.
I had previously heard of the Christmas Eve truce during World War I, but I hadn’t researched the event or seen the 2005 movie on which this opera is based. I had naively thought of it as an uplifting moment in an otherwise horrible war. To be fair, the coming together of the various sides in Act I to meet was inspiring. The all-male chorus deserves a special shout-out for their powerful harmonizing across multiple languages. However, Act II begins with the extension of the truce to bury the dead, followed by the top brass of each country determining how to punish the soldiers for this “fraternization.” The libretto highlights the futility of war.
Operas, as an art form, are generally sad. My mom and I like to joke, “Everybody dies at the end. It’s a comedy.” Despite that, this opera was tragic in a way that will stick with me. Thankfully, given the true story behind the libretto, it didn’t feel sensationalized. I appreciated that director James Robinson eschewed projections of images from the war; it made the whole opera feel more intimate and immediate.
With too many fantastic singers to mention, the entire cast and production coalesced into a moving tribute to an extraordinary event.
Opera: Silent Night
Composer: Kevin Puts
Venue: Houston Grand Opera
Date: February 8, 2026
Link: https://www.houstongrandopera.org/on-stage/silent-night
Opera Nerd 
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