Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila

Set Design by JOSÉ CURA

In this saga of hatred and holy war, of power and desire, there is no victor and no truth. The god-like is diminished, power restricted, taboos are broken, love betrayed. Only the composer can afford uninterrupted pathos in the wonderful duet of Samson and Dalila in the second act, which misleads us to believe in a moving story of love. Perhaps it truly is. The story of Samson is contradictory, it is human. Camille Saint-Saëns completed the work in 1876, but was only able to bring about its first performance in 1877 through the mediation of his friend Franz Liszt – with pre-eminent success – in Weimar. In France, where the elements of oratorio and the influence of Wagner were not well received, the first performance would not follow for another 13 years. Samson et Dalila ranks among the masterpieces of 19th century French Opera - and among the showpieces favored by the Argentine tenor José Cura. In the recorded production he saw himself celebrated on stage as a unified three-in-one: eponymous hero, director and stage designer.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Subtitle Languages: FR (Original Language), GB, DE, ES, IT, Korean

Running Time: 125 mins

FSK: 12

Using the example of the impossible love between the Jew Samson and the Philistine Dalila, Camille Saint-Saëns shows the deadly conflict between two hostile cultures and religions.

Staged by the Flanders Opera Company in Antwerp in 2009, Saint-Saëns’ opera Samson et Dalila is re-located in this production to the contemporary Middle East. The two directors, Israeli Omri Nitzan and Palestinian Amir Nizar Zuabi, explore the tensions between different nations and religions, and the complex relationship between the oppressors and the oppressed. ‘In our approach to this opera we tried to move away from the quasi-biblical interpretation, and to place the story in today’s world to explain its political aspects better,’ say the two directors. ‘Acts of terror by a state will lead to acts of terror against a state, which in turn will lead to more terror by the state and this completes the vicious circle.’

Performed by the Symphonic Orchestra and Choir of Vlaamse Opera Antwerp/Gent under the baton of Czech conductor Tomáš Netopil, Samson is sung by the young German tenor Torsten Kerl and Dalila by the Russian mezzo-soprano Marianna Tarasova. The kaleidoscopic colours of the music are brought out with sensitivity and lyricism by the orchestra and singers, unfolding the dramatic story in all its tragic beauty.

With this production the intendant, Aviel Cahn, hopes to elucidate the future course he intends to follow with the Flanders Opera: bringing opera to today’s people. Samson and Dalila promises to be a production that no serious opera connoisseur would want to miss.

Bonus: The Making of Samson et Dalila - including interviews with the production team and Torsten Kerl

Picture format: NTSC - 16:9

Sounds formats: PCM Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1, DTS 5.1

Region code: 0

Booklet notes: English, German, French

Subtitles: French, English, German, Dutch

Running time: 122 mins (+ Bonus 16 mins)