Samson et Dalila at the Royal Opera House

"Jones avoids the temptation of slipping into contemporary geopolitics and focuses on the conflict between the ascetic spirituality of the Jews and the much jollier if crass materialism of the Philistines with their God Dagon."

"At the heart of the piece lies a musical tension between static Handelian choral writing and some of the most sublimely erotic arias to be heard on the operatic stage. Saint-Saens has created a hodgepodge of musical and dramatic styles that coalesce and at best make for a thrilling evening of opera."

"Set in Gaza in 1150 BC, Samson, an inspirational leader, is driving his people (The Israelites) to resist an oppressor (The Philistines). Samson's tragic flaw is his inability to resist being seduced by Delilah, a Philistine woman who uses emotional blackmail to wheedle out of her lover the secret of his superhuman strength."

"Samson is a Nazirite, a holy man blessed by an angel before birth, who abstains from alcohol or cutting his hair, and it is in his lengthy locks that his strength resides. Delilah traps him and cuts his hair off and Samson is then blinded and taunted by his Philistine captors. Samson prays to God who returns his strength leading to a cataclysmic ending."

Samson et Dalila is staged with a non-realist approach that emphasizes the clash between Jewish ascetic spirituality and Philistine materialism. The work began as an oratorio in 1867 and became an opera that premiered in Weimar in 1877. The music balances static Handelian choral writing with intensely erotic arias. The story draws on Milton’s Samson Agonistes and the Old Testament’s Book of Judges, set in Gaza around 1150 BC. Samson leads Israelites against Philistine oppression but is undone by Delilah’s emotional blackmail. As a Nazirite, his strength depends on his uncut hair, which Delilah removes, leading to blindness and taunting. Samson prays, God restores his strength, and the ending becomes cataclysmic. A pared-down modernist set and coordinated costume colors frame Philistine identity.

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