Do you see what I see?
Lights, carols, shoppers. Which means Christmas is upon us! In a world that’s gone completely bonkers, with nations crippled because of a pandemic, Christmas has become the light that shines in the darkness. A bright star in the night sky.
It’s been a year of noise. We were constantly bombarded by the media, with politicians holding press conferences, and people posting and commenting on social media.
Sometimes, it pays to be silent.
Just like the classic carol, “Silent Night“, when all was calm and bright, there came to us the light that broke the darkness. And that is what Christmas is about. You know the song.
Legendary Spanish tenor and opera singer, Placido Domingo, sings the hymn in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City.
The singer, conductor, and administrator has The Piano Guys with him, and together, they produce music so fitting for the divine, so perfect for the theme of their performance, it could bring heaven to tears.
The Piano Guys say,
“Joining us are the children from the Cathedral School Choristers, whose pure faith proclaim the profound message of this hymn… May your Christmas this year be filled with serenity, spirituality, peace, and felicity.”
Placido’s unmatched power plays the perfect contrast to the choir’s soft, angelic vocals. It is the balance that does it.
The song was born in 1818.
“Stille Nacht” was a beautiful poem composed by a young priest named Joseph Mohr. He was at St Nicholas Church, Oberndorf bei Salzburg in Austria when the evening service was in trouble as mice made sure the organ could not be used.
Father Mohr went to his friend, Franz Xavez Gruber, a schoolmaster and organist to set his six-stanza poem to music. So that night, during Christmas Mass, the two men sang the song for the first time.
There are renditions by hundreds of artists.
Pianist John Schmidt opens up with soft strokes of the keys, starting it off with a touch so light, and so worthy of an innocent baby. Placido Domingo sings gently, allowing his emotions to pour out for each word he says.
A viewer commented,
“I’m not exaggerating when I say this might be the best rendition of any Christmas song I’ve ever heard.”
It may very well be.
Fantastic camera work too! The song truly fits in to the look and feel of this cathedral. The pillars and arches lend themselves well to the faint lighting that brings out the serenity of the song.
The children’s choir hold candles as they blend with the Spaniard’s rich tone that just soars up and around the cathedral’s walls. This is worthy of that night in Bethlehem all those years ago.
And no matter how cold it has been, no matter how bleak it looked, at the end of the year, just look up and follow the star.
This is a version you will want to play over and over again! Play it below!
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