{"id":7639,"date":"2021-12-06T16:54:48","date_gmt":"2021-12-06T15:54:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/?p=161230"},"modified":"2021-12-06T17:18:07","modified_gmt":"2021-12-06T16:18:07","slug":"best-christmas-operas","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/rss_feed\/best-christmas-operas\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Christmas operas"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By BBC Music Magazine\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 06 December 2021 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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Tchaikovsky <\/span>Cherevichki (1876)<\/i><\/span><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s2"\">Inspired by Gogol\u2019s <i>Christmas Eve<\/i> (as was <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/nikolay-rimsky-korsakov\/"\">Rimsky-Korsakov<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s <i>Christmas Eve<\/i>) <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/pyotr-ilyich-tchaikovsky\/"\">Tchaikovsky<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s opera tells how Vakula, a smith, flies on the devil\u2019s back to St Petersburg. There he gets hold of the empress\u2019s leather boots, as requested by the beautiful Oksana, with whom he is smitten. On his return, Oksana then tells him she loves him anyway, boots or no boots. How typical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>As well as being one of the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/the-greatest-opera-composers-of-all-time\/"\">greatest opera composers<\/a> ever we named <span class=\""s1"\">Tchaikovsky as one of the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/the-best-ballet-composers-of-all-time\/"\">best ballet composers ever<\/a> as well as one of the <a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/50-greatest-composers-all-time\/"\">greatest composers of all time<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"><div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <ul><li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/the-scariest-operas-how-the-supernatural-world-has-inspired-opera-composers\/"\">The scariest operas: how the supernatural world has inspired opera composers<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/20-greatest-operas-all-time\/"\">The 20 Greatest Operas of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/wagners-operas\/"\">Which are Wagner\u2019s best and most famous operas?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/15-operas-ripe-rediscovery\/"\">15 operas ripe for rediscovery<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section><h2 class=\""p1"\"><span class=\""s1"\">Massenet<\/span> <span class=\""s2"\"><i>Werther (1892)<\/i><\/span><\/h2>\n<iframe title=\"""Werther"\" by=\"\" massenet=\"\" trailer=\"\" de=\"\" paris=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OPldyViFziI?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s2"\">Oh dear. As we hear children joyfully singing \u2018Noel\u2019 at the end of <strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/composers\/jules-massenet\/"\">Massenet<\/a><\/strong>\u2019s opera, inside the study of Albert\u2019s house Werther lies dying, the result of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Though not the way one would ideally want to spend Christmas Eve, he is at least consoled by Charlotte revealing that it is he, not Albert, she loves. All a bit late, really.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\""p1"\"><span class=\""s1"\">Pfitzner<\/span><span class=\""s2"\"> <i>Das Christ-Elflein (1906)<\/i><\/span><\/h2>\n<iframe title=\""Hans\" pfitzner=\"\" overture=\"\" to=\"\" christ-elflein=\"\" by=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RMvf9i_ZIP4?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s2"\">Opera does not get much more sentimental than Hans Pfitzner\u2019s festive tale. A little elf learns about the miracle of Christmas from the Christ-child himself. As he does so, the elf selflessly volunteers to swap places with a terminally ill girl, who recovers. Pfitzner\u2019s lush score has more than a touch of Humperdinck\u2019s <i>Hansel and Gretel<\/i> to it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\""p1"\"><span class=\""s1"\">Menotti<\/span><span class=\""s2"\"> <i>Amahl and the Night Visitors (1951)<\/i><\/span><\/h2>\n<iframe title=\""Amahl\" and=\"\" the=\"\" night=\"\" visitors=\"\" recorded=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""150"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gPAjNu4WW0I?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p class=\""p2"\"><span class=\""s2"\">Hieronymous Bosch\u2019s painting <i>The Adoration of the Magi<\/i> was the inspiration for Gian Carlo Menotti\u2019s charming tale about Amahl, a disabled boy who meets the Three Wise Men. When, with nothing else to give the new-born Jesus, Amahl offers his crutch, he is immediately healed. The opera has become something of a festive favourite in the US.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 class=\""p1"\"><span class=\""s1"\">Hindemith <\/span><span class=\""s2"\"><i>The Long Christmas Dinner (1960)<\/i><\/span><\/h2>\n<iframe title=\""Paul\" hindemith.=\"\" the=\"\" long=\"\" christmas=\"\" dinner.=\"\" rahvusooper=\"\" estonia.=\"\" width=\""200"\" height=\""113"\" src=\""https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/lMcvUoQGKtE?feature=oembed"\" frameborder=\""0"\" allow=\""accelerometer;\" autoplay=\"\" clipboard-write=\"\" encrypted-media=\"\" gyroscope=\"\" picture-in-picture=\"\" allowfullscreen=\"\"\/>\n<p class=\""p3"\"><span class=\""s2"\">Hindemith\u2019s final opera portrays 90 years of Christmas dinners being celebrated by the Bayards, a family living in the US Midwest from 1840-1930. Except \u2018celebrated\u2019 is not really the word. During the opera\u2019s one-act course, the family members get drunk, quarrel, grow depressed and, in a variety of ways, die. Jolly stuff.<\/span><\/p>\n<section class=\""highlight\"><div class=\""highlight__content\" editor-content=\"\"> <ul><li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-christmas-ballets\/"\">The best Christmas ballets of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/best-christmas-musicals\/"\">Best Christmas musicals<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/works\/six-best-pieces-christmas-choral-music\/"\">Six of the best pieces of Christmas choral music<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/recordings\/the-best-christmas-classical-music-albums\/"\">The best Christmas classical music albums and recordings<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\""https:\/\/www.classical-music.com\/features\/articles\/25-greatest-christmas-carols-all-time\/"\">The 25 best Christmas carols of all time<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul><p> <\/p><\/div> <\/section><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"no-tts wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By BBC Music Magazine Published: Monday, 06 December 2021 at 12:00 am Tchaikovsky Cherevichki (1876) Inspired by Gogol\u2019s Christmas Eve (as was Rimsky-Korsakov\u2019s Christmas Eve) Tchaikovsky\u2019s opera tells how Vakula, a smith, flies on the devil\u2019s back to St Petersburg. There he gets hold of the empress\u2019s leather boots, as requested by the beautiful Oksana, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7640,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas.jpg",1200,900,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas-300x225.jpg",300,225,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas-768x576.jpg",768,576,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas-1024x768.jpg",800,600,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas.jpg",1200,900,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2021\/12\/best-christmas-operas.jpg",1200,900,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By BBC Music Magazine Published: Monday, 06 December 2021 at 12:00 am Tchaikovsky Cherevichki (1876) Inspired by Gogol\u2019s Christmas Eve (as was Rimsky-Korsakov\u2019s Christmas Eve) Tchaikovsky\u2019s opera tells how Vakula, a smith, flies on the devil\u2019s back to St Petersburg. There he gets hold of the empress\u2019s leather boots, as requested by the beautiful Oksana,…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/7639"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcmusicmagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}