Samson Et Dalila

by Opéra en 3 Actes Et 4 Tableaux

Excerpt from Samson Et Dalila

Pour marcher aux combats, Où donc trouver des armes? Comment armer nos bras? Nous n'avons que nos larmes!

Genres: Music

314 pages, Paperback

First published December 2, 1877

Reviews

[Christopher Waller]

For a biblical opera written during the 19th Century, this is fairly low brow. A guilty pleasure, then.

Worth listening to:
-- the choral overture, atmospheric and stirring. The one time this opera has any sense of gravitas.
-- "Dance of the Priestesses of Dagon," a charming and delicate little entr'acte. A hidden gem.
-- "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix," a gorgeous love aria/duet, admittedly undercut by the fact Delilah is lying through her teeth.
-- "Danse Bacchanale," a trashy but highly enjoyable dopamine rush.

The rest is more or less empty calories and can safely be avoided, I think.

The score-book I read is a nicely bound piano reduction in a lovely hardcover, but suffers from an obnoxious translation. In retrospect, this isn't really the sort of piece which rewards score analysis.

[Javier Fernandez]

This is such a perfect opera ending. Everybody on stage gets crushed to death. THE END