On Christmas Eve 1914, soldiers on Europe’s Western front laid down arms and joined their enemies in celebrating the holiday by trading songs and drink while dead comrades littered the surrounding fields. In this premiere broadcast of a Pulitzer-winning opera, composer Kevin Puts and librettist Mark Campbell have resisted the temptation to sentimentalize the episode. Tenor William Burden plays the soldier whose impromptu singing inspired the truce. Still, don’t expect traditional carols from any of the players in this stirring work. Friday, Dec. 13, at 9 p.m., PBS; check local listings
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Gandhi arrests: Narendra Modi's 'vendetta' against India's oppositionThe Explainer Another episode threatens to spark uproar in the Indian PM's long-running battle against the country's first family
-
How the woke right gained power in the USUnder the radar The term has grown in prominence since Donald Trump returned to the White House
-
Codeword: April 24, 2025The Week's daily codeword puzzle
