A seasonal opera with temporal jiggery-pokery makes a wonderful find for the end of any year.

ORCHESTRAL • CHAMBER • INSTRUMENTAL • VOCAL

Hindemith
The Long Christmas Dinner
American Symphony Orchestra/Leon Botstein
Bridge BRIDGE9449

HINDEMITH’S NOT JUST FOR CHRISTMAS

The passage of time is the subject of this lesser-known work by Paul Hindemith. It was his last opera, a thoughtful setting in English of Thornton Wilder’s play of the same name, which sees the Bayard family enjoying their Christmas feast over 90 years. New life is celebrated, old lives commemorated and mourned and the repercussions of decisions are played out over decades. The cast play characters from old and young generations, entering through one door and exiting through another when their time is up.

Hindemith’s score works with the cyclical nature of the libretto. Familiar melodies and phrases are uttered by younger characters, echoing the words of matriarchs and patriarchs from years past. The chamber orchestration is expressive yet tidy, never overpowering the soloists and providing a constant...