Search - Giuseppe Patanè :: Saint-Saens: Samson Et Dalila

Back in print again, thank you Sony!

08/05/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording first appeared in the 1973 on the Eurodisc label, made a brief appearance on CD in the late eighties (be which time I had it on cassettes) and was again reissued in 1996 by RCA/BMG. Now Sony resurrects it again. I guess you just can't keep a great recording down for too long.



Although it seems unlikely at first glance, because there are no native French participants, this turns out to be one of the most effective recordings of Samson I've ever heard. Christa Ludwig's Dalila is all creamy, seductive tone in the first act, fire and passion in the second, and slyly insinuating in the third. Her french diction is the equal of the best non-native singers and far better than most. Has she ever made a less than great recording of anything?



I will confess to being a huge fan of the late James King. While he has often been compared with Jon Vickers as being less dramatically involved, I think it because his is a much more beautiful voice, which distracts from his expressivity, just as a very beautiful actress might not be noticed for her acting. But King makes all the dramatic points without relinquishing a bit of brilliant, virile tone...really an ideal Samson. He does lack Vickers' spontanaeity; that was his one real flaw in the studio, much more so than in live performances. His french is excellent, as one would expect from a student of Martial Singher.



Bernd Weikl, recorded here before he became famous for Wagner baritone roles, sounds great and seems to be having a fine time as the High Priest of Dagon, the main villain. Alexander Malta is suitably nasty as the Philistine Abimelech, the opera's other bad guy, who Samson off's in the first act. Richard Kogel brings great dignity to the low bass part of the Old Hebrew, although he doesn't quite come up to the level of Robert Lloyd on the Barenboim/Domingo.



Giuseppe Patane's direction of the Munich Radio Orchestra is stylish and lively when it needs to be, and the women's chorus of Bavarian Radio in particular is very fine in the lilting first act scene. Most importantly, Patane whips up a real orgiastic excitement in the third act's famous Bacchanale, which all too often sounds too polite to be convincing.



The original Eurodisc analog sound was excellent. BMG's '96 transfer was fine. Whether Sony's version is better or worse I cannot tell you. But whatever the case this is a welcome return to the catalog. Grab it while you can. If you have doubts, go for a used copy. I promise you won't be sorry."