Camille Saint-Saëns
Operas Le timbre d’argent (1865) La princesse jaune (1872) Samson and Delilah (1877) Henry VIII (1883) Ascanio (1890) Hélène (1904) Déjanire (1911)
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Samson et Dalila (English: Samson and Delilah), Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four tableaux by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed at the Grossherzogliches (Grand Ducal) Theater (now the Staatskapelle Weimar) in Weimar on 2 December 1877 in a German translation.

The opera is based on the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah as recounted in the Old Testament's Book of Judges, chapters 16. It is the only opera by Saint-Saëns that is regularly performed. The second act, the love scene in Delilah's tent, is one of the set pieces that define French opera. Two of Delilah's arias are particularly well known: "Printemps qui commence" and "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" ("My heart opens itself to your voice", also known as "Softly awakes my heart"), the latter of which is one of the most popular recital pieces in the mezzo-soprano repertoire.

Contents 1 Composing the opera 2 Performance history 2.1 Premiere in Weimar 2.2 Beginning of international popularity in the 1890s 2.3 20th and 21st century performance history 3 Libretto 4 Roles 5 Synopsis 5.1 Act I : A square in Gaza at night 5.2 Act 2 : Delilah’s retreat in the Valley of Sorek 5.3 Act 3 : In the city of Gaza 6 Recordings 7 Notes 8 References 9 External links

[edit] Composing the opera

Intitially Saint-Saëns planned on composing an oratorio on the subject of Samson and Delilah as suggested by Voltaire’s libretto Samson for Rameau. At the time France was experiencing a revived interest in choral music and Saint-Saëns, who deeply admired the oratorios of Felix Mendelssohn and George Frideric Handel, hoped to contribute to the newly flourishing choral movement in his country. He began working on the music for Samson and Delilah in 1867, just two years after completing his first opera, Le timbre d’argent, which had not yet been performed. Saint-Saëns had previously approached Ferdinand Lemaire, the husband of one of his wife's cousins, to write a libretto for his oratorio. Lemaire convinced him that the story was better suited to that of an opera.^[1] Saint-Saëns later wrote:

"A young relative of mine had married a charming young man who wrote verse on the side. I realized that he was gifted and had in facts real talent. I asked him to work with me on an oratorio on a biblical subject. ‘An oratorio!’, he said, ‘no, let’s make it an opera!’, and he began to dig through the Bible while I outlined the plan of the work, even sketching scenes, and leaving him only the versification to do. For some reason I began the music with Act 2, and I played it at home to a select audience who could make nothing of it at all."^[1]

After Lemaire finished the libretto, Saint-Saëns began actively composing Act II of the opera, producing an aria for Dalila, a duet for Samson and Dalila, and some musical pieces for the chorus (some of which later ended up in Act I) during 1867-1869. From the very beginning the work was conceived as a grand duet between Samson and Delilah set off against the approaching tempest. Although the orchestration was not yet complete, Saint-Saëns decided to present the Second Act in a private performance in 1870 just prior to the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War. For this performance, Saint-Saëns played the orchestral parts, which were largely improvised, on the piano with composer Augusta Holmès (Dalila), painter Henri Regnault (Samson), and Romain Bussine (High Priest) singing out of part books.^[2] Sadly, in spite of many precedents, the French public reacted negatively to Saint-Saëns's intention of putting a biblical subject on the stage. The alarm on the part of the public caused him to abandon working further on the opera for the next couple years.^[1]

In the summer of 1872, not too long after the premiere of Saint-Saëns's second opera La princesse jaune, Saint-Saëns went to Weimar to see the first revival of Wagner's Das Rheingold under conductor Franz Liszt who was the former musical director of the court orchestra and opera in that city. While there Liszt, who was highly interested in producing new works by talented composers, persuaded Saint-Saëns to finish Samson and Delilah and offered to produce the completed work at the grand-ducal opera house in Weimar. Newly encouraged, Saint-Saëns began composing Act I in late 1872 and worked on it sporadically for the next few years. He ended up writing a large amount of the first act and completing it during a trip to Algiers in 1874.^[3] Upon returning to France in 1875, Saint-Saëns presented Act I in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet in a similar format as the 1870 performance of Act II. The work was harshly received by music critics and failed to gain the public's interest. That same year acclaimed mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot, for whom Saint-Saëns wrote the role of Dalila, organized and performed in a private performance of Act Two at a friend’s home in Croissy, with the composer at the piano. Viardot was a great admirer of the work and she hoped that this private performance would encourage Halanzier, the director of the Paris Opéra who was in attendance, to mount a full production. However, although Saint-Saëns completed the opera's score in 1876, no opera houses in France displayed any desire to stage Samson et Dalila. Fortunately, Liszt's continued enthusiastic support led to the work being mounted in Weimar in 1877.^[1]

[edit] Performance history

[edit] Premiere in Weimar

Although Liszt was no longer the musical director in Weimar, he still had a significant amount of influence at the court there and with his successor Eduard Lassen, who also owed much of his success to Liszt. He was therefore able to use his influence to arrange the premiere of Samson et Dalila under the direction of Lassen during the 1877-1878 season. The libretto was duly translated into German for this production and the opera's first performance was given on 2 December 1877 at the Grossherzogliches Theatre (Grand Ducal Theatre). At this point Viardot was too old to sing Dalila so the role went to Auguste von Müller, a resident performer at the opera house in Weimar. Although a resounding success with the Weimar critics and audience, the opera was not immediately revived in other opera houses.^[1]

[edit] Beginning of international popularity in the 1890s

After the numerous setbacks it suffered in its early years, Samson et Dalila finally began to grab the attention of the world's great opera houses during the 1890s. Although the first revival of Samson et Dalila was in Germany at the Hamburg State Opera in 1882, the opera was not seen again until 1890 when it was performed for the first time in France at the Théâtre des Arts in Rouen on the 3 March with Carlotta Bossi as Dalila and Jean-Alexandre Talazac as Samson. The opera received its Paris premiere that same year at Théâtre de l’Eden on 31 October with Rosine Bloch as Dalila and Talazac singing Samson once again, this time with a much warmer reception by Paris audiences. Over the next two years performances were given in Bordeaux, Geneva, Toulouse, Nantes, Dijon, and Montpellier. The Paris Opéra finally staged the opera on 23 November 1892 in a performance under the supervision of Saint-Saëns conducted by Edouard Colonne with Blanche Deschamps-Jéhin as Dalila and Edmond Vergnet as Samson, a performance which was lauded by critics and the audience.^[4]

Samson et Dalila also earned a great deal of popularity outside of France during the 1890s. The opera debuted successfully in Monaco at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo on the 15 March 1892. This was followed by the opera's United States premiere at Carnegie Hall in a concert version on the 25 March 1892. The first staged performance of the opera in the U.S. was held at the French Opera House, New Orleans on the 4 January 1893. The first of many productions at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City was held on 2 February 1895, with Eugenia Mantelli as Dalila, Francesco Tamagno as Samson, and Pol Plançon portraying both Abimélech and the Old Hebrew. There is some evidence that the sets for the Met's production had been taken from some of their other operas, and at the second performance that season the work was given in concert, with the ballet sequences omitted; in this form the work traveled to Boston, where it was performed on 3 March 1895.^[4]

The opera made its premiere in Italy at the Teatro Pagliano in Florence on the 26 March 1892. The opera was mounted in Venice at the Teatro La Fenice on 8 March 1893 with Elisa Persini as Dalila and Augusto Brogi as Samson. The work was first mounted at La Scala on the 17 January 1895 with Renée Vidal as Dalila and Emanuele Lafarge as Samson. This was followed by its first performance at the Teatro Regio di Torino on the 6 January 1897 with Alice Cucini and Irma De Spagni alternating as Dalila and Hector Dupeyron as Samson. The work was first performed at the Teatro Regio di Parma that same year and was mounted at the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in 1899.^[4]

In England, the opera was first performed on the 25 September 1893 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Although the company initially planned on performing the work in a fully staged production, the Lord Chamberlain objected to a biblical work being staged forcing the company to present the opera in a concert version instead. It was not staged in London until 1909, having been banned by the Lord Chamberlain up until that time. Louise Kirkby-Lunn portrayed Dalila and Charles Fontaine portrayed Samson in the 1909 production.^[3]

[edit] 20th and 21st century performance history

By 1906 Samson et Dalila had received more than 200 performances internationally. Since then the opera has continued to remain moderately popular and, while not being among the most frequently performed operas, the work has become a part of the standard opera performance repertory at most major opera houses. The opera has been revived numerous times not only in Europe and North America, but also in South America, Australia, and Asia.^[3] While none of Saint-Saëns’ later operas suffered the tribulations endured by Samson et Dalila during its early years, none of his other works have achieved the same enduring success either.

Within North America, French contralto Jeanne Gerville-Réache is largely credited for popularizing the work in the United States and Canada during the early twentieth century. Réache first performed the role of Dalila with the Manhattan Opera Company in New York City in 1908 and went on to sing the role several more times over the next seven years, including performances in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago, and Montreal (for the Canadian premiere in 1915).^[5] The Metropolitan Opera revived the opera in its 1915–1916 season with Margarete Matzenauer as Dalila, Enrico Caruso as Samson, and Pasquale Amato as the high priest. Since then the company has staged productions of the opera at least once every decade giving more than 200 performances of the work. Their most recent production of the opera was in 2006 with Olga Borodina as Dalila and Jon Fredric West as Samson.^[6] The Lyric Opera of Chicago gave their first performance of the opera in November 1962 with Rita Gorr as Dalila and Hans Kaart as Samson. The company has revived the work numerous times since then, most recently in their 2003-2004 season with Olga Borodina as Dalila and José Cura as Samson.^[7] Likewise, the San Francisco Opera has staged the opera 10 times during its history giving its first performance in 1925, with Marguerite D'Alvarez as Dalila and Fernand Ansseau as Samson, and its most recent performance in 2008, with Borodina as Dalila and Clifton Forbis as Samson.^[8]

Samson et Dalila has also continued to be a consistent presence in the opera houses of Europe. By 1920, the Paris Opéra alone had given more than five hundred performance of the opera. Recent productions include performances at La Scala in 2002 (Placido Domingo as Samson and Borodina as Dalila), the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in 2004 (Denyce Graves as Dalila and José Cura as Samson), Teatro Comunale di Bologna in 2008 (Julia Gertseva as Dalila and Andrew Richards as Samson), the National Theatre (Prague) in 2008, the Royal Swedish Opera in 2008 (Anna Larsson as Dalila and Lars Cleveman as Samson) and the Vlaamse Opera in 2009 (Marianna Tarasova) as Dalila and (Torsten Kerl) as Samson to name just a few.^[9]

Throughout its history, Samson et Dalila has served as a star vehicle for many singers. In particular, the role of Dalila is considered to be one of the great opera roles for the mezzo-soprano voice type. Singers who have become associated with the role include Marie Delna, Grace Bumbry, Julia Claussen, Giulietta Simionato, Fiorenza Cossotto, Rita Gorr, Denyce Graves, Louise Homer, Marilyn Horne, Elena Obraztsova, and Risë Stevens. Notable Samsons have included Francesco Tamagno, Enrico Caruso, Charles Dalmores, Paul Franz, Fernand Ansseau, Georges Thill, Guy Chauvet, Giovanni Martinelli, Jose Luccioni, Richard Tucker, Jon Vickers, and Ramon Vinay. Apart from the previously mentioned Pasquale Amato, Met baritones Giuseppe de Luca and Leonard Warren were also well known for their portrayals of the High Priest.^[3]

[edit] Libretto

Although the libretto of Samson et Dalila is taken from Chapter 16 of the Book of Judges, the opera does not include the accounts of Samson’s heroic deeds which earned him both fame and leadership among the Hebrews. The well known stories of Samson's killing of a lion and his triumph over 1000 Philistines wielding only the jawbone of an ass are entirely omitted. Saint-Saëns and his librettist most likely made this choice so that the story would center more on the character of Delilah. Samson, therefore, is presented more as an inspiring leader than in the heroic portrait in the bible. It is his vulnerable and tender heart that is susceptible to the apparent love of a woman that is the focus of the opera's plot. Delilah is portrayed as manipulative conniving and ruthless woman bent on revenge. Also missing from the opera is Samson’s numerous attempts to conceal the secret of his strength and the revelation that Samson's strength resides in his hair is indicated as occurring offstage. The opera also includes some material not found in the bible, most notably the death of Abimelech in Act 1.^[1]

[edit] Roles

Role	Voice type	Premiere Cast, 2 December, 1877 (Conductor: Eduard Lassen)[4]
Samson	tenor	Franz Ferenczy
Dalila (Delilah)	mezzo-soprano	Auguste von Müller
The High Priest of Dagon	baritone	Hans von Milde
Abimélech, satrap of Gaza	bass	Dengler
First Philistine	tenor	Karl Knopp
Second Philistine	bass	Felix Schmidt
A Philistine messenger	tenor	Winiker
An old Hebrew	bass	Adolf Hennig
Hebrews, Philistines

[edit] Synopsis

Place: Gaza.

Time: circa 1150 BC.

[edit] Act I : A square in Gaza at night

A group of Hebrews beg Jehovah for relief from their bondage to the Philistines in a square outside the temple of Dagon. This first scene opens with a melancholy chorus (Dieu, d’Israël), which as Macdonald points out, leads into a fugue on the words ‘Nous avons vu nos cités renversées’ (We have seen our cities overthrown).^[1]

Samson, tries to revive the Israelites' morale and faith in God (Arrêtez, ô mes frères). The rousing aria is set against the Chorus’ continuous prayer. Abimelech, the Philistine governor, appears and taunts the Israelites, saying that they are helpless because their god has abandoned them. He further states that his god, Dagon, is far superior (Ce Dieu que votre voix implore). The Hebrews cower in fear before Abimelech until Samson incites them into defiant action. Enraged, Abimelech attacks an unarmed Samson with his sword. Samson manages to wrest the sword from Abimelech and kills him.^[1]

Afraid of what might now happen, the Hebrews flee, abandoning Samson. The High Priest of Dagon comes from the Philistine temple and curses the Hebrews and Samson's prodigious strength. A messenger arrives and informs the High Priest that the Hebrews are destroying the harvest. He responds with a further curse that alludes to his plot to utilize Delilah's beauty to outwit Samson's strength ("Qu’enfin une compagne infâme trahisse son amour!").^[1]

As dawn breaks the Hebrews lift up a humble prayer to God in a style reminiscent of plainchant.^[1] Out of the temple emerges Dalila along with several priestesses of Dagon. As they walk down the temple steps they sing of the pleasures of spring. Dalila engages seductively with Samson proclaiming that he has won her heart and bids him to come with her to her home in the valley of Sorek. As she tries to charm him a trio forms as an old Hebrew warns of the danger this woman presents and Samson prays for God's protection from Dalila's charms. In an attempt to seduce Samson away from his leadership of the Israelite uprising, Dalila and the priestess begin a sexually charged dance for him accompanied by a tambourine. After the dance, Dalila sings how spring is blossoming all around her yet, in her heart, she feels like it is still winter (Printemps qui commence). As Samson struggles with his desire for Dalila, the old Hebrew repeats his cautionary plea. His warning, however, is made in vain and the curtain closes as Samson meets Delilah’s gaze with every intention of going to her nearby dwelling.^[1]

[edit] Act 2 : Delilah’s retreat in the Valley of Sorek

Dalila knows that Samson is entranced with her and will come to her instead of leading the revolution against the Philistines. Sitting on a rock outside the entrance to her retreat, she sings triumphantly about her power to ensnare Samson. She says that all of his strength is hopeless to withstand love's onslaught (Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse).^[1]

Distant lightning is seen as the High Priest arrives to report that Samson and the Hebrews have conquered the Philistines. He attempts to achieve Samson’s capture by offering Dalila gold, but she refuses saying she cares not for money but only for revenge. Her desire to hurt Samson is motivated solely by her loyalty to her gods and her hatred for the Hebrews. Dalila and the High Priest sing a duet expressing their mutual abhorence for Samson and the Hebrews. Dalila vows to discover the secret of Samson's strength.^[1]

Now alone, Dalila contemplates her chances of success. Samson, intent on taking his place as the leader of the Hebrew revolt, emerges to say his last farewell as distant lightening is once again seen. In an attempt to close the trap which she has set for Samson, Dalila tells Samson seductively that she is completely his if he wants her. She begs him to respond to her caresses, hoping that he will finally let go of all other things and concentrate completely on her. His admission Je t'aime! (I love you!) introduces her main aria Mon cœur s’ouvre à ta voix. which becomes a duet on the second verse when Samson joins her in song. Now that Dalila has him in her power, she feigns disbelief in his constancy and demands that he show his love by confiding in her the secret of his strength. Samson hears rolling thunder again which new seems like a warning from God and refuses. Dalila weeps and scorns Samson and runs into her dwelling. Samson is momentarily torn but then follows Dalila inside. Not long afterward, having finally learned that the secret of Samson's strength is his long hair, she calls to hidden Philistine soldiers, who rush in to capture and blind Samson.^[1]

[edit] Act 3 : In the city of Gaza

	"Vois ma misère, hélas!" Act 3, Scene 1. Sung by Enrico Caruso in 1916.
Problems listening to this file? See media help.

Scene 1: In a dungeon at Gaza.

His hair shorn and now blind and shackled, Samson is turning a mill-wheel and praying for his people, who will suffer for his sin. He hears their voices, echoing the Hebrews' lament from Act 1. Overcome with remorse, Samson offers his life in sacrifice, while the Hebrews are heard in the distance lamenting his fate.^[1]

Scene 2: In the Temple of Dagon.

A musical interlude is played to give time for the scene-change to the temple, where the Philistines are preparing a sacrifice to commemorate their victory. The priests and priestesses of Dakan sing softly, reprising the song to spring from Act 1. The music turns savage as the priests dance a wild Bacchanale. A boy guides Samson in after the dance where he is ridiculed by the High Priest and the crowd. Dalila taunts Samson further by recounting to him the details of her devious plot in a variant of her love song. When the priests try to force him to kneel before Dagon, he asks the boy to lead him to the two main pillars of the temple. Samson prays to God to restore his strength, and pulls down the pillars and the temple with them, crushing himself and his enemies. The score continues for five seconds before the curtain falls.^[1]

[edit] Recordings

Year	Cast (Samson, Dalila, Grand-prétre de Dagon, Abimélech)	Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra	Label
1936	René Maison, Gertrud Wettergren, Ezio Pinza, John Gurney	Maurice Abravanel, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Live recording for radio on 26 December 1936 which has subsequently been released on CD.)	CD: Guild Cat: 2273
1941	René Maison, Risë Stevens, Leonard Warren, Norman Cordon	Wilfred Pelletier, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Live recording for radio on 13 December 1941 which has subsequently been released on CD.)	CD: Omega Opera Archive
1946	José Luccioni, Hélène Bouvier, Paul Cabanel, Charles Cambon	Louis Fourestier, Paris Opéra Orchestra and Chorus (The first studio made recording and the first recording of the opera to be released commercially.)	CD: Naxos Cat: 8.110063-64
1948	José Luccioni, Susanne Lefort, Pierre Nougaro, Ernest Mestrallet	Eugène Bigot, Grand Théâtre de Genève Orchestra and Chorus	CD: Malibran Music Cat: MR502
1948	Lorenz Fehenberger, Res Fischer, Fred Destal, Max Eibel	Hans Altman, Orchester und Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks	CD: Walhall Cat: WLCD 0040
1949	Ramón Vinay, Risë Stevens, Robert Merrill, Osie Hawkins	Emil Cooper, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Live recording for radio on 26 November 1949 which has subsequently been released on CD.)	CD: Omega Opera Archive
1953	Ramón Vinay, Risë Stevens, Sigurd Björling, Norman Scott	Fausto Cleva, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus (Live recording for radio on 14 March 1953 which has subsequently been released on CD.)	CD: Omega Opera Archive
1954	Jan Peerce, Risë Stevens, Robert Merrill	Robert Shaw, NBC Symphony Orchestra and the Robert Shaw Chorale	CD: RCA Victor Cat: LM 1848
1955	Ramón Vinay, Ebe Stignani, Antonio Manca-Serra, Giovanni Amodeo	Fritz Rieger, Teatro di San Carlo Orchestra and Chorus	CD: Bongiovanni CAT: HOCO 31
1956	Set Svanholm, Blanche Thebom, Sigurd Björling	Herbert Sandberg, Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra and Chorus	CD: Caprice CAT: CAP 22054
1963	Jon Vickers, Rita Gorr, Ernest Blanc, Anton Diakov	Georges Prêtre, Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris	CD: EMI classics
1964	Jon Vickers, Oralia Dominguez, Ernest Blanc, Henk Driessen	Jean Fournet, Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra	CD: Opera D'oro
1970	Richard Cassily, Shirley Verrett, Robert Massard, Giovanni Foiani	Georges Prêtre, Orquestra do Teatro alla Scala	CD: Opera D'oro
1978	Plácido Domingo, Elena Obraztsova, Renato Bruson, Pierre Thau	Daniel Barenboim, Orchestre de Paris et Chorus	CD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 413 297-2
1981	Plácido Domingo, Shirley Verrett, Wolfgang Brendel, Arnold Voketaitis	Julius Rudel, San Francisco Opera orchestra and chorus	DVD: Kultur Video Cat: 032031 00109 1
1982	Jon Vickers, Shirley Verrett, Jonathan Summers, John Tomlinson	Sir Colin Davis, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden orchestra and chorus	DVD: Kultur Video Cat: 032031 00109 1
1991	Jose Carreras, Agnes Baltsa, Jonathan Summers, Simon Estes	Sir Colin Davis, Bavarian Radio Symphony orchestra and chorus	CD: Philips
1991	Plácido Domingo, Waltraud Meier, Alain Fondary, Jean-Philippe Courtis	Myung-whun Chung, Bastille Opera orchestra and chorus	CD: EMI Classics Cat: 54470-2
1998	Plácido Domingo, Olga Borodina, Sergei Leiferkus, Richard Paul Fink	James Levine, Metropolitan Opera orchestra and chorus	DVD: Deutsche Grammophon Cat: 00440 073 0599
1998	José Cura, Olga Borodina, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Egils Siliņš	Sir Colin Davis, London Symphony Orchestra & Chorus	CD: Elektra Records
2007	Clifton Forbis, Denyce Graves, Greer Grimsley, Philip Skinner	Karen Keltner, San Diego Symphony Orchestra & San Diego Opera Chorus	CD: Premiere Opera Ltd CAT: CDNO 2793-2

• Note: "Cat:" is short for the label's catalogue number where available.

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Cross, Milton (1955). Complete Series of the Great Operas. Garden City, New York: Doubleday & Co. Inc.. pp. 545–550. 
• Kobbé, Gustav (1976). The Complete Opera Book. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons. pp. 819–821. 
• Upton, George P.; Borowski, Felix (1928). The Standard Opera Guide. New York: Blue Ribbon Books. pp. 318–320. 

[edit] External links

• complete discography