The singer and talk show host Kelly Clarkson is teaming up with the Vienna Boys Choir for a powerful rendition of the Christmas classic “Silent Night” for a television documentary that is set to air on Thursday.
People Magazine scored a first look at the upcoming CW musical documentary “Silent Night – A Song for the World,” and in one clip, Clarkson revealed that her first experience out of the United States involved the Vienna Boys Choir.
“My first experience outside the U.S. when I was a sophomore in high school — we went to Vienna,” explained Clarkson, 38. “That was the very first place we went, and we literally met the Vienna Boys Choir and got to hear them sing. It was so magical. I mean, you have teenagers who aren’t generally listening to music like that sobbing because it was so beautiful. There’s just something about a boy singing like that before they become men.”
She went on to talk about why the song “Silent Night” is still such a beloved classic over two hundred years since it was first composed by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber in Salzburg, Austria.
“When you hear something that moves you, it moves you no matter what the language is,” Clarkson said. “There are some songs — and I feel like ‘Silent Night’ is one of those — that when you sing, the lyrics transcend the music. It’s the whole vibe of the song, it’s the melody that really just captures your heart.”
“I think that’s why I could be in Germany, I could be in Japan, I could be anywhere in the world, and if I start singing certain songs like ‘Silent Night,’ people sing along,” she added. “Then all of a sudden, there’s this connection.”
Narrated by Hugh Bonneville of “Downton Abbey” fame, this documentary will do a deep dive into both the creation and cultural impact of “Silent Night.” Hannes M. Schalle, the director and creator of the documentary, said in a statement that “as a composer and filmmaker living in Salzburg, it was clear that I wanted to tell the incredible story of how the song was created in 1818 and how it became the worlds most performed Christmas carol — in films and music.”
“This is a song that is as meaningful today as it was over 200 years ago,” he added. “Through this film, I am proud to bring the story behind ‘Silent Night’ to the world.”
“Silent Night – A Song for the World” premieres at 8pm EST on Thursday, December 10 on the CW. You do not want to miss it!
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