July 28, 2014 marks the 100th anniversary of the start of World War I. This month, Cincinnati Opera presented Silent Night, the Pulitzer Prize winning opera with music by Kevin Puts and libretto by Mark Campbell, which tells the true story of the Christmas Eve Truce of 1914. That night at various points along the Western front, troops on both sides of the conflict laid down their arms, crawled out of their trenches, and met each other while also saying Mass, burying their dead, exchanging gifts, and playing football.
On 90.9 WGUC, Cincinnati Opera Artistic Director Evans Mirageas presents Creativity in Chaos, an exploration of the musical creativity that arose from World War I, as well as a look at the war's effect on Cincinnati and its German immigrant population.