Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila ***
Wiener Staatsoper, 12th May 2018
Strip Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila of its biblical setting and what have you got left? An individual who succumbs to temptation and forfeits his life to kill hundreds of his religious enemies. Today, Samson would be labelled a suicide bomber, yet in the Bible he is glorified as a hero. In her debut production at the Wiener Staatsoper, Alexandra Liedtke eschews Old Testament exoticism to present a tale of two lonely people from different sides of a conflict. It’s a tepid staging sparked into life by a splendid pair of role debuts by Roberto Alagna and Elīna Garanča.
Elīna Garanča (Dalila) and Roberto Alagna (Samson)
© Wiener Staatsoper | Michael Pöhn
Read the full review on Bachtrack.