Inside Julie Andrews’ Forgotten ‘Sound of Music’ Christmas Special
What To Know
- Julie Andrews starred in a 1987 television special called The Sound of Christmas, filmed in Salzburg and featuring iconic Sound of Music locations.
- The special included guest performances by Plácido Domingo, John Denver, and The King’s Singers, blending classical music with holiday favorites and Sound of Music songs.
- Though The Sound of Christmas did not achieve the enduring fame of The Sound of Music, it developed a devoted fan following through its original broadcast and later recordings.
Julie Andrews is one of the most beloved actresses and singers of all time, and 1965’s The Sound of Music is among her most famous films. But even hardcore fans might not know that Andrews revisited the world of the Von Trapp family over 20 years later, in the 1987 special The Sound of Christmas.
The film’s opening sequence and title song deliberately harkened back to her classic role as Maria, beginning with snowy mountain tops before zeroing in on Andrews singing alone — though this time, she was seen in a snowy field, rather than a green meadow. The special was filmed in Salzburg, and fans will immediately recognize the landscapes and beauty of the locations that helped shape one of the most beloved films in history.
The rest of the special, however, doesn’t harken back so closely to the iconic film. Rather, it pairs Andrews with an unexpected but perfectly matched trio of guest stars, including Plácido Domingo, John Denver and the King’s Singers. The combination creates a musical hour that drifts easily between classical pieces and traditional carols. Filming in Salzburg was more than just a nostalgic choice. The city had become deeply tied to her legacy. The production used several Sound of Music locations, adding an extra layer of magic for fans who knew the hills as well as the songs themselves.
Andrews performs a gorgeous mix of holiday music throughout the special, including “Ave Maria” with Domingo, a tender duet of “Edelweiss” with Denver, “In the Bleak Midwinter,” the choral favorite “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with The King’s Singers, and the original pieces “Something New in My Life” and “A Christmas Fantasy.” While The Sound of Christmas never became a seasonal staple like Andrews’s earlier work, it earned a devoted following among viewers who discovered it during its original broadcast and later through recordings circulated among fans. Have you ever seen the special?
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PUZZLER: Holiday Movies
December 2022
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