Samson et Dalila (English: Samson and Delilah) is a grand opera in three acts by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Grand Opera is a genre of 19th-century Opera generally in four or five acts characterised by large-scale casts and orchestras and (in their original productions lavish and Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (/ʃaʁl kamij sɛ̃sɑ̃s/ (9 October 1835 &ndash 16 December 1921 was a French Composer, Organist, conductor, and French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and It was first performed at the Grossherzogliches (Grand Ducal) Theater in Weimar on December 2, 1877 in a German translation. Weimar (ˈvaɪmaʁ is a City in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of Thuringia (Thüringen north of the Thüringer Wald, Events 1409 - The University of Leipzig opens 1755 - The second Eddystone Lighthouse is destroyed by fire Year 1877 ( MDCCCLXXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages.

The opera, based on the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, is the one opera by this French composer that is regularly performed. Etymology According to the Online Etymology Dictionary, the word bible is from Latin biblia, traced from the same word through Medieval Latin and Late Latin Samson, Shimshon ( Hebrew: שמשון, Standard Šimšon Tiberian Šimšôn; meaning Delilah ( דלילה - D+*uL+iJ+L+oH+, Standard Hebrew meaning " who weakened or uprooted or impoverished" from the root dal meaning The second act, the love scene in Delilah's tent, is one of the set pieces that define French opera. French opera is one of Europe's most important operatic traditions containing works by composers of the stature of Lully, Rameau, Berlioz, Bizet

Samson and Delilah

History

Saint-Saëns began composing the work as an oratorio in 1868, but his librettist, Ferdinand Lemaire, convinced him of its theatrical potential, and Liszt offered to produce it at Weimar, where he was musical director at the cosmopolitan, progressive and highly musical grand-ducal court. An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera Weimar (ˈvaɪmaʁ is a City in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of Thuringia (Thüringen north of the Thüringer Wald, In France, the fact that the opera was composed of Biblical subject matter created resistance to its staging. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Samson, in fact, wasn't heard in France until 1890, receiving its French premiere in the provincial city of Rouen. Year 1890 ( MDCCCXC) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Rouen (ʁwɑ̃ in French) is the historical capital city of Normandy, in northwestern France on the River Seine, and currently the capital By that time, Pauline Viardot, who had championed the opera, for whom it was written, and to whom Saint-Saëns dedicated the score, was too old to sing Dalila. Pauline García-Viardot ( July 18, 1821 &ndash May 18, 1910) was a nineteenth century Spanish Mezzo-soprano and Composer In London, the Lord Chamberlain kept Samson et Dalila from being staged, though it was presented as an oratorio, which was the form in which Saint-Saëns had first conceived it. The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom, and is to be distinguished An oratorio is a large Musical composition including an Orchestra, a Choir, and soloists The oratorio was somewhat modeled after the Opera

One of the best-known melodies from the opera is the Bacchanalia. A bacchanale is a dramatic musical composition often depicting a drunken revel or Bacchanal.

Stature

Delilah is one of the great roles for mezzo-soprano. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Saint-Saëns dedicated it to Pauline Viardot, who organized a private performance of the music from Act II at her house in Paris, with Saint-Saëns at the piano, in the vain hope of interesting the director of the Opéra. Pauline García-Viardot ( July 18, 1821 &ndash May 18, 1910) was a nineteenth century Spanish Mezzo-soprano and Composer The selection "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" ("My heart opens itself to your voice") is a popular recital piece. Two of Delilah's arias are particularly well known: "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" and "Printemps qui commence. This article is about the musical term "aria" For other meanings or uses of the word see Aria (disambiguation. "

Origin

The episode of Samson and Delilah comes from the Old Testament, in the Book of Judges, chapter 16. In Western Christianity, the Old Testament refers to the books that form the first of the two-part Christian Biblical canon. Book of Judges ( Hebrew: Sefer Shoftim ספר שופטים is a book of the Bible originally written in Hebrew. Like tales of his approximate contemporary Hercules, the violence and erotic extravagance of this folk hero, with its exotic color, reversal of patriarchal strength and catastrophic heroic end, all appealed especially to European Baroque artists of the 17th century. Hercules is the Roman name for the Mythical Greek hero Heracles, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmena. Baroque art redirects here Please disambiguate such links to Baroque painting, Baroque sculpture, etc

Roles

Synopsis

Olga Borodina in San Francisco Opera, 2007

Place: Land of Israel. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Olga Borodina is a leading dramatic Mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in Russian operas at her home company the Mariinsky Theatre, and for her international San Francisco Opera (SFO is the second largest Opera company in North America. For other uses see Israel (disambiguation The Land of Israel ( Hebrew: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל Eretz Yisrael) is

Time: circa 1150 BC. Circa (often abbreviated c, ca, ca or cca and sometimes Italicized to show it is Latin) means "about"

ACT I

Palestine, 1150 B. C. In a square in Gaza, a group of Hebrews beg Jehovah for relief from their bondage to the Philistines. This first scene gives the clearest signs of the work’s origins as an oratorio, with a fine sombre opening for the chorus leading to a fugue on the words ‘Nous avons vu nos cités renversées’ (We have seen our cities overthrown).

Opening Chorus: "Dieu, d’Israël"

Samson steps forward and tries to revive the Israelites morale and faith in God. The aria is set, at times, against the Chorus’ prayer.

Aria: "Arrêtez, ô mes frères"

Abimelech, the Philistine governor, appears and taunts the Israelits, saying that they are helpless because their god has abandoned them.

Aria: "Ce Dieu que votre voix implore"

Samson kills him and leads the Hebrews away. The High Priest of Dagon comes from the Philistine temple and curses Samson's prodigious strength, leaving with the slain man's bier. An Old Hebrew praises the returning Samson. In an attempt to seduce Samson away from his leadership of the Israelite uprising, Dalila and a group of girls dance for him and Dalila sings how spring is blossoming all around her yet, in her heart, she feels like it is still winter.

Aria: "Printemps qui commence"

Dalila invites Samson to come that night to her nearby dwelling, and the curtain falls as it become apparent that Samson has become deaf to the Old Hebrew's dour prophecies.

ACT II

The introduction paints a musical picture of the luxuriant foliage that decks Delilah’s retreat. Dalila knows that Samson is entranced with her and will come to her instead of leading the revolution against the Philistines. She sings seductively of the powers of love to ensnare Samson. She says that all of his strength is hopeless to withstand love's onslaught.

Aria: "Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse"

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. Note: At the end of the second verse Samson joins in to make it a duet.

Aria: "Mon coeur s’ouvre à ta voix"

Samson appears, passionate in spite of himself; when 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, weeping when he refuses. Samson hears rolling thunder as a warning from God but cannot resist following 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.

ACT III

Scene i: In a dungeon at Gaza, the sightless Samson pushes a grist mill in a circle, praying for his people, who will suffer for his sin. He hears their voices castigating him.

Scene ii: During a bacchanal in the Temple of Dagon, Dalila and the High Priest taunt Samson.

Dance: "Bacchanale"

When they force him to kneel to Dagon, he asks a boy to lead him to the two main pillars of the temple. Samson prays to Jehovah to restore his strength, and with a mighty effort he pulls down the pillars and the temple, crushing himself and his foes.

"Finale"

Selected recordings

Note: "Cat:" is short for catalogue number by the label company; "ASIN" is amazon. WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> José Plácido Domingo Embil KBE (born January 21, 1941) better Shirley Verrett (born May 31 1931) is an American Operatic Mezzo-soprano and Soprano. Julius Rudel ( 6 March, 1921, Vienna - is a major American Orchestra conductor who emigrated to the US from Austria San Francisco Opera (SFO is the second largest Opera company in North America. WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> José Plácido Domingo Embil KBE (born January 21, 1941) better Olga Borodina is a leading dramatic Mezzo-soprano, known for her roles in Russian operas at her home company the Mariinsky Theatre, and for her international Sergei Leiferkus (born April 4, 1946) is an Operatic Baritone from Russia, known for his dramatic technique and powerful voice particularly James Lawrence Levine (born 23 June 1943) is an American orchestral conductor and pianist. The Metropolitan Opera Association of New York City, founded in April 1880 is a major presenter of all types of opera including Grand Opera. Deutsche Grammophon is a German classical Record label. The company has long been known for its high standards of audio fidelity. com product reference number.