Search - Camille Saint-Saens, Daniel Barenboim, Plácido Domingo :: Saint-Saëns - Samson et Dalila / Domingo · Obraztsova · Bruson · Lloyd · Orchestre de Paris · Barenboim

Still a favourite performance of Samson and Dalila

Keith Harvey | Norwich, England | 10/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you know this composer for the charms of The Carnival of the Animals or perhaps the lyrical 3rd Violin Concerto, I'd recommend his take on this Old Testament tale of poor trusting Israelite warrior Samson and his treacherous Philistine lover as a glimpse of Saint-Saens darker side. You can appreciate Domingo's voice at its most powerful, and either loathe or, as I do, adore Obraztsova's melodramatic mezzo. Other reviewers may overlook what is required of her role as a bewitching, scheming seductress yet, jealous of Samson's loyalty to his God, a wicked avenger of the Philistines' defeats. She succeeds as the dramatic engine of the piece, her sincerely insincere "Mon Coeur S'Ouvre à Ta Voix" being soon replaced by her taunts of betrayal as the witch enjoying power over the blind and bitterly regretful Samson: "I tore your secrets from you - I'd already sold them!" The antiphonal polylogue and novel orchestral invention of the final scenes are particularly satisfying under the enthusiastic baton of a then still fairly young Barenboim."

The Biblical tale of the Russian Mezzo & Spanish Tenor!

Jamshed Variava | Bombay, India | 06/10/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Camille Saint-Saëns definitely had a very firm grip on reality when he composed this stunning piece of work; it manages a stark resemblance to 21st century life, and thoroughly manages to entertain, more than 120 years later!A spellbinding tale of Love (A man who loves his people), Romance (Man falls for a 'wrong' woman), Seduction (Woman seduces man by singing), Revenge (Woman sings to man, gentle words and betrays him for not loving her) and the Male Martyr (Man kills himself and half the ensemble to save his people and religion!). All said and done, this recording is an absolute over-the-top performance, and nevertheless quite stunning!One of the earlier Barenboim recordings, (1978) this brings together the formidable talents of ... a Spanish Samson, a Russian Dalila, an Italian High Priest and a British Assur... the only contribution to the origins of the country of this biblical operatic tale is Pierre Thau (Abimélech).Barenboim?s fervent conducting (slightly over-imaginative vis-à-vis the text [?]), especially the bacchanal makes it very exciting and thoroughly engrossing to hear. Domingo is in his element ... pure & quite outstandingly energetic. The star however is Elena Obraztsova [Dalila]. Her tone at some point does tend to slightly ?wobble?, but she delivers the punch with great aplomb. Her brilliant rendition of the aria ?Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix?? is simply stunning; rich and alluring with sexual nuances and quite aptly describable as 'Sultry yet Slutty', it captivates Samson, and undoubtedly the audience as well! Elena Obraztsova may not be the most ?well-known? mezzo for looks or voice (fans can must check her out on the DVD of ?Cav&Pag?], but she is definitely the most robust and powerful Dalila on CD.An absolute must buy, for those listeners who like their Dalila on the ?Sultry & Slutty? side! It makes a good comparable with the John Vickers and Rita Gorr version, conducted by George Prêtre (1962), and the José Cura & the stunning Olga Borodina version conducted by Colin Davis (1987)."

Biblical indeed!

Björn Arvidsson | Louisville, CO | 08/02/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Just transfered this onto Cd from an LP I had. Bought for a couple of quid in a charity shop, as many of my LP's. A great way to collect music on a shoestring! I am SO glad not to have payed anything like full price for this turgid and sometimes laughable rendition. I never liked Bruson, he sounds like he is fabricating a dark sound, as always, and let's not talk about colours... domingo is in his youthful prime, and surely understands Samson, if not always with the appropriate colours. His French is ... erratic. like his German. But Obraztsova! What is there to like? It's horrid! One colour, one tone and RIDICULOUS French! She sounds as though she is choking on her own sound. Is she 105 years old? She sounds it! Sexy?! You've got to be kidding me. Like a bull in a china-shop. I don't know the competition out there, but ANYTHING must be better than this! She sings legato in her big aria, but where's the text?! Where's the nuance?! Hate to say it, but she sounds like a Mezzo Sutherland. If you don't care about the text or the drama, and just want wobbly, over-ripe singing, this is it!"