Vincent Pontet / OnP

Opera

New

Samson et Dalila

Camille Saint-Saëns

Opéra Bastille

from 04 October to 05 November 2016

3h05 with 2 intervals

Samson et Dalila

Opéra Bastille - from 04 October to 05 November 2016

Synopsis

"Strip the invulnerable shield from his heart and discover the secret of his strength."

 

Samson et Dalila, Acte II, scène 2


Lightning streaks through the skies as Dalila declares her love to Samson in one of the finest arias of romantic opera. “My heart awakens to your voice like a flower to the kiss of dawn.” An enchanting yet treacherous beauty… When the thunder at last rumbles, Dalila betrays Samson and offers him up to his enemies: “Come up, for this time he has shown me all his heart”, she whispers to them in the night (The Old Testament, Book of Judges). Based on a violent and erotic biblical story, Saint-Saëns’s opera – composed in 1877, much to Liszt’s insistence – would not be performed at the Palais Garnier until fifteen years later. This first Parisian performance in 1892 included the hitherto unperformed “Dance Of The Priestesses”. Nevertheless, it became one of the most performed French operas in the world, together with Faust and Carmen. Conducted by Philippe Jordan, this new production brings back a repertoire masterpiece that has not been performed at the Paris Opera for twenty-five years. Ever sensational as a femme fatale, Anita Rachvelishvili plays the murderous Priestess in a production staged by Damiano Michieletto.

Duration : 3h05 with 2 intervals

Show acts and characters

CHARACTERS

Dalila: A Philistine seeking revenge on Samson
Samson: A brave Hebrew, famous for his strength, leader of his people
The High Priest of dagon: High Priest of the Philistines
Abimelech: Satrap of Gaza, the administrative governor
An old Hebrew
A Philistine messenger
Two Philistines

Act I
The Israelites, enslaved by the Philistines, beg for their freedom. Samson blames his brothers, reproaching them for having lost their courage and their faith. He promises that with God’s help he will break the chains that fetter them. His rousing words convince the Israelites: however, their cries alert Abimelech, the satrap of Gaza. He scoffs at Jehovah, the God of the Israelites, and sings the praises of Dagon, the deity adored by the Philistines. Samson calls on his people to revolt. Abimelech seizes his sword and races towards Samson but the latter grabs the weapon from him and slays him. At the head of the Israelites, Samson drives out the Philistines. The High Priest of the temple of Dagon appears and orders the revolt to be quelled. He is interrupted by a messenger who tells him that the Israelites have risen up and are now ravaging the country. The High Priest curses the Jews and flees with his partisans. The Israelites extol the virtues of Samson and his warriors. Samson thanks God for the victory. Just then, Dalila comes out of the temple, accompanied by a cortege of Philistine women. Together, they celebrate Samson’s glorious work. Dalila reminds Samson that he once conquered her heart and invites him to visit her at her house near Gaza. An elderly Hebrew man warns Samson not to fall victim to Dalila’s charms but Samson turns a deaf ear to all advice.

Act II

Dalila calls on all-powerful Love to help her seduce Samson again and reap vengeance. The High Priest appears and informs her of Samson’s new victories. He offers to give her gold if she can wrest the secret of his supernatural strength from him but she declines any remuneration. All she dreams of is vengeance. She tells the High Priest that she will use her love-spurned tears to ensnare the hero. Left alone, Dalila starts to doubt her power but, just then, Samson approaches. He would like to avoid the young woman but finds himself irresistibly attracted to her. Dalila unleashes all her charms, but her words of love are not enough to coax him into revealing his secret. Dalila reproaches him for not loving her then runs towards her house just as a storm breaks out. Samson decides to follow her. As soon as Dalila learns the secret of his strength, she summons soldiers to surround the house. They overpower Samson.

Act III

Samson is shackled in chains inside the prison at Gaza. He beseeches God to have pity on his people, once again under the Philistine yoke. The Israelites lament the fact that they were let down by Samson because of a woman. The guards then lead Samson to the Temple of Dagon. The Philistines hail the new day. Samson is exposed to the priests’ sarcastic comments. Once again, the High Priest provokes Jehovah by challenging him to restore Samson’s former strength. Samson is brought forward so that the crowds may see him kneel before Dagon. Samson implores God to restore his strength. The temple collapses upon him and the Philistine people.

Artists

Opera in three acts and four scenes (1877)

In French

Creative team

Cast

Orchestre et Chœurs de l’Opéra national de Paris

French and English surtitles

Media

  • Podcast Samson et Dalila

    Podcast Samson et Dalila

    Listen the podcast

  • Too human

    Too human

    Read the article

  • Schönberg, Verdi, Wagner and Berlioz: the commitment to cycles

    Schönberg, Verdi, Wagner and Berlioz: the commitment to cycles

    Read the article

Podcast Samson et Dalila

Listen the podcast

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" - by France Musique

07 min

Podcast Samson et Dalila

By Judith Chaine, France Musique

  • In partnership with France Musique

    Read more

"Dance! Sing! 7 minutes at the Paris Opera" offers original incursions into the season thanks to broadcasts produced by France Musique and the Paris Opera. For each opera or ballet production, Judith Chaine (opera) and Stéphane Grant (dance), present the works and artists you are going to discover when you attend performances in our theatres.     

Samson and Dalila

Conducted by Philippe Jordan, this new production brings back a repertoire masterpiece... 

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

Too human

Read the article

About Samson and Dalila

03 min

Too human

By Damiano Michieletto

The inspiration for Samson and Dalila is rooted in the Bible, nevertheless Saint-Saëns distances himself from the biblical story and takes certain liberties to approach it from a profoundly human angle. It is this humanity that Damiano Michieletto is determined to highlight in his production. Photographer Éléna Bauer was able to capture the atmosphere of the production as it was being created. The director comments.
© Vincent Pontet / OnP

In Saint-Saëns' opera, the audience never actually witnesses the prodigious physical strength of Samson, nor do they see the famous scene where the Philistines cut his hair. The composer focuses less on the most familiar aspects of the legend to concentrate on the interstices: specifically, Samson’s inner conflict, torn as he is between his love for a woman and his role as the spiritual leader of an entire people.

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

Is Dalila guilty of betraying Samson? I try not to make a moral judgement which would risk undermining my interpretation of the work. Dalila is a complex character. She is not driven by cupidity: she refuses the gold which the High Priest offers in exchange for her complicity. She evokes the past: Samson is the only man to have rejected her – on three occasions – and he continues to resist her by refusing to reveal the source of his strength to her...

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

The love duet between Samson and Dalila is truly moving. Samson is prepared to go back on his word and forget who he is. In my production, instead of revealing his secret, he ends up cutting a lock of his own hair, deliberately renouncing his power and his status as leader. When Dalila understands this, something changes in her. She becomes even more ambiguous.

© Vincent Pontet / OnP

The last protagonist in the drama – no doubt the most important – is, of course, the community. I chose not to pigeonhole the Israelites, preferring to define them by their condition: slaves. They are an oppressed people. I have chosen to deal with the Israelites and the Philistines in a resolutely contemporary setting to ensure that the legend is more connected to our reality and our emotions. All the same, during the Bacchanal, as if in a leap back in time, the Philistines dress up in peplum costumes. In so doing the crowd embodies a corrupt society—a society which extols strength and wisdom, even though it is built upon violence and humiliation, just like in the arenas of ancient times where gladiators were killed and their blood spilt to entertain the public.

Samson and Dalila 

Conducted by Philippe Jordan, this new production brings back a repertoire masterpiece...

© Bernd Uhlig

Schönberg, Verdi, Wagner and Berlioz: the commitment to cycles

Read the article

A fresh look at season 15/16

05 min

Schönberg, Verdi, Wagner and Berlioz: the commitment to cycles

By Octave

During the summer break, we offer our readers a retrospective glaze on Stéphane Lissner’s first season at the Paris Opera. The rhythm of season 15/16 was marked by recurring “rendez-vous” with composers whose work, essential or enigmatic, appeals to invention and discovery. Between revivals of timeless productions and creations, these diverse companionships set the tone for an eclectic operatic season, revealing the inexhaustible quality of the Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus.

"Dare!"

Indeed, inaugurating season 15/16 with a symphonic concert of works by Arnold Schönberg took audacity, furthermore in uncharted territory. The Paris Opera Orchestra invested the Philharmonie de Paris for the first time with the Variations for orchestra, op.31, a major modern piece, inaugurating a cycle dedicated to the Austrian composer. Philippe Jordan carried out the audacious project of making Schönberg’s work better known in its diversity through a series of concerts and recitals which was followed by Pierrot Lunaire and the String Quartet, op.10 – a reflection of his shift from late romanticism to atonality – and the Gürre Lieder. The climax of this commitment was undoubtedly the mobilization of all the vital forces of the Paris Opera in the service of Moses und Aron, Schönberg’s unfinished philosophical opera, reputed for its reluctance to the stage. “There is something deeply theatrical and human in this work that must be recognized” insists Philippe Jordan in an interview. The task had been handed to the most plastic of today’s stage directors, Romeo Castellucci. The result was a striking journey through contradictory signs, trails of tainting speech and haunting images, succeeding in making Schönberg our contemporary. To complete the cycle, the composer’s early style of feverous romanticism found a perfect embodiment with the Paris Opera Ballet dancers in Verklärte Nacht choreographed by Anne Teresa de Keersmaeker. The choreographer will renew her collaboration with the Paris Opera by stage directing Così fan tutte, which will inaugurate a Da Ponte trilogy.    
"La Nuit transfigurée" d'Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker © Agathe Poupeney

"Vibrate!"

As for Moses und Aron, season 15/16 was marked by the return to grace of works rarely – or never – given on the Paris Opera’s stages so that some shows were practically must-see events. Last March, a new production of Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, which hadn’t been performed for over a quarter of a century, thrilled the audience. Philippe Jordan teamed up again with stage director Stefan Herheim to offer five hours of musical and scenic jubilation. Through Hans Sachs’ character, Wagner reflects on the artist’ status and design a self-portrait to a comical effect. The Wagnerian cycle will pursue with a concert of excerpts from the Tetralogy and Lohengrin directed by Claus Guth with Jonas Kaufmann singing the title-role. Faithful to the Paris Opera, the German tenor lent his voice to Hector Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust which inaugurated a cycle dedicated to the composer. This complex “dramatic legend” displays the forward-thinking talent of a visionary composer and the audience will have the possibility to discover the musical richness of his works with Béatrice et Bénédict in concert version.
Sophie Koch, Jonas Kaufmann
Sophie Koch, Jonas Kaufmann © Élena Bauer / OnP

"Desire!"

Through cycles, one is amazed at the variety of artistic worlds that can spring from the work of one composer. The cycle dedicated to Giuseppe Verdi displayed with flying colors the repertoire’s vitality. This season, two internationally acclaimed stage directors made their Paris Opera debuts taking over operas by Verdi. Spanish stage director Alex Ollé, from la Fura dels Baus, addressed the issue of aggravating social tensions during war time in a First World War set Trovatore. German stage director Claus Guth, for his part, created a melancholic cabaret in a cart wood box from the material of Rigoletto’s fantasies and regrets. Verdi’s “popular trilogy” was completed with a revival of Benoît Jacquot’s production of La Traviata; the French director paying tribute to the sulfurous 19th century heroine with the elegance for which he’s known. The Verdi cycle above all gives time and space to appreciate opera singing. One was able to hear and see the greatest singers in the world perform on the Paris Opera stages: Anna Netrebko, Marcelo Àlvarez, Sonya Yoncheva, and Bryan Hymel… To end the season, like a cherry on the cake, Aida displayed one of the most brilliant vocal casts of the year: with Sondra Radvanovsky in the title-role alongside Alexandrs Antonenko and the revelation Anita Rachvelishvili. The Georgian mezzo-soprano will be back next season in Samson et Dalila and Carmen, the role that earned her international fame; so that we almost wish the end of summer were tomorrow!    
Anita Rachvelishvili
Anita Rachvelishvili © Salvatore Sportato
  • Anita Rachvelishvili & Aleksandrs Antonenko : Duo entre Samson et Dalila
  • Samson et Dalila - Extrait
  • Samson et Dalila - Trailer
  • Damiano Michieletto à propos de Samson et Dalila - Par le Cercle Berlioz
  • Entretien avec Anita Rachvelishvili - Par le Cercle Berlioz
  • Anita Rachvelishvili interprète « Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix » - Par le Cercle Berlioz
  • Aleksandrs Antonenko et Damiano Michieletto à propos de Samson et Dalila - Par le Cercle Berlioz
  • L’élaboration des costumes de Samson et Dalila - Par le Cercle Berlioz
  • Samson et Dalila - 1
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 2
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 3
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 4
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • 2016092802-059VP
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • 2016092802-042VP
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • 2016092802-046VP
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • 2016092802-038VP
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 2
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 1
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 1
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 5
    © Élena Bauer / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 2
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 4
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 5
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 1
    © Élena Bauer / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 2
    © Élena Bauer / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 3
    © Élena Bauer / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 4
    © Élena Bauer / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 6
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 7
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 8
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 9
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 10
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP
  • Samson et Dalila - 11
    © Vincent Pontet / OnP

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Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

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  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82
Online

Opéra Bastille

Place de la Bastille

75012 Paris

Public transport

Underground Bastille (lignes 1, 5 et 8), Gare de Lyon (RER)

Bus 29, 69, 76, 86, 87, 91, N01, N02, N11, N16

Calculate my route
Car park

Q-Park Opéra Bastille 34, rue de Lyon 75012 Paris

Book your parking spot

In both our venues, discounted tickets are sold at the box offices from 30 minutes before the show:

  • €35 tickets for under-28s, unemployed people (with documentary proof less than 3 months old) and senior citizens over 65 with non-taxable income (proof of tax exemption for the current year required)
  • €70 tickets for senior citizens over 65

Get samples of the operas and ballets at the Paris Opera gift shops: programmes, books, recordings, and also stationery, jewellery, shirts, homeware and honey from Paris Opera.

Opéra Bastille
  • Open 1h before performances and until performances end
  • Get in from within the theatre’s public areas
  • For more information: +33 1 40 01 17 82
Online

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