Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah
Richard Jones (stage director), Sir Antonio Pappano (conductor) — With SeokJong Baek (Samson), Elīna Garanča (Dalila), Łukasz Goliński (High Priest of Dagon) …
Cast
Richard Jones — Stage director
Danielle Urbas — Assistant stage director
Benjamin Davis — Assistant stage director
Hyemi Shin — Set designer
Nicky Gillibrand — Costume designer
Andreas Fuchs — Lighting designer
Lucy Burge — Choreographer
Program notes
Rediscover the sublime Samson et Delilah, Camille Saint-Saëns's grand opera masterpiece, in a spectacular Royal Opera House staging by Richard Jones! The opera's famous melodic beauty is underscored and enhanced by the remarkably talented cast, including tenor SeokJong Baek, who sensitively conveys the evolution of Samson over the three acts, descending into "baritonal shades as his suffering increased across the show" (OperaWire); and star mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča, whose "perfect" execution shows off a sound that is "buttery, even smoky, and then sharpened into a razor edge for moments of fury, frustration, and defiance." And as ever, maestro Antonio Pappano, at the helm of the Royal Opera House's esteemed orchestra, demonstrates his "uncanny ear for unexpected moments of textural interest, sudden dynamic contrasts, or exquisitely underlined cadences."
