Christmas operas

[savvy]

I'm trying to make a list of operas which have something to do with Christmas. There are two categories of such works: 1) operas which were first staged/performed during the Christmas days (december 8th-26th) - also, operas composed for Christmas, and 2) operas whose action is set or partially set in a Christmas time.
The most famous of them are Haensel und Gretel (1) and La bohème (2), but there are a lot of not-so-wll know works to be listed, too.

Of the first category I know at the moment only three works, two by Humperdinck: Haensel und Gretel (December 23th), Die sieben Geislein (December 19th), and one by Pfitzner: Das Christ-Elflein (December 11th).

Of the second category I know a bit more titles: Puccini's La bohème; Alfano's Resurrezione; Zandonai's Il grillo del focolare and I cavalieri di Ekebù;  Hermann's Wuthering Heights, Pfitzner's-Das Christ-Elflein, and, I suppose, Goldmark's Das Heimchem am Herd. I cannot remember at the moment of Respighi's Marie Victoire is partially set in a christmas time, too.

Do you know other titles?

[Gareth Vaughan]

Surely Menotti's Amahl and the Night Visitors falls into both categories.

[Gooseguy]

How about these two:

Vakula the Smith by Tchaikovsky and Christmas Eve by Rimsky Korsakov  - both have scenes on Christmas Day  (both based on the same Gogol story)

[Finn_McCool]

I always think of Massenet's Werther when I think of Christmas, but there are some really intriguing suggestions here that I will seek out!

[Gauk]

Is it not a bit early in the year to be thinking of this?

[Jimfin]

Boughton's Bethlehem, an actual nativity opera. Also Bridge's 'The Christmas Rose', though it's a bit past the era of this site

[eschiss1]

Wilhelm Kienzl's "In Knecht Ruprechts Werkstatt" Op.75 (described by Operone as a Weihnachtsmärchenspiel and premiered on December 25 1907 in Graz.)

Operone also lists among operas premiered on Christmas , Eduard Kunneke's Die lockende Flamme Op.32 (premiered December 25 1933 in Berlin) ; Leroux' Les Cadeaux de noël (premiered Christmas 1915 at the Opera-Comique) ; Alfred Bruneau's Les Quatre Journées (conte lyrique) (Christmas 1916) ; Vandenbroek's pantomime Le Génie Assouf ou Les Deux Coffrets (Christmas 1795, Paris) ; etc.

[mikehopf]

Here's one for the opera buffs:

Which opera ends with the word "Christmas" ...or its linguistic equivalent

[Alan Howe]

Which opera ends with the word "Christmas" ...or its linguistic equivalent

We've already mentioned it. Werther by Massenet.

[mikehopf]

Not the one I was thinking of... try again!

Hint: Natale..Natale

[savvy]

Thank you all very much for your suggestions! And many thanks especially to eschiss1 for his list of operas premiered on Christmas!
How could I forget Werther??

@Gauk (it's that not the name of the actual President of Germany?) - no, by this weather I think that argument to be very appropriated 

@mikehopf it's then an italian opera? I should know it... hmm

[Gauk]

@Gauk (it's that not the name of the actual President of Germany?)

No, that is Joachim Gauck. (I should say, yes, that is me! For all you know ...) Actually I am borrowing the moniker from Aleksandr Vassilievich Gauk, the conductor.

[regriba]

I think the opera that ends with "Natale" is Leoncavallo's version of "La Boheme".

[Alan Howe]

I think the opera that ends with "Natale" is Leoncavallo's version of "La Boheme".

Quite right. They are Mimi's last words.

[eschiss1]

... Natale means birth. It does not have an intrinsically holy meaning... or, capitalized, a meaning attached to one specific reli... eh.. .never mind...