Recommended for Grades 6-12
In this resource, you will:
- Learn the opera’s background and synopsis
- Meet the opera’s composer
Samson and Delilah
by Camille Saint-Saëns
Samson and Delilah
by Camille Saint-Saëns
A quick overview of Camille Saint-Saëns’ 1877 biblical epic opera.
Background
Camille Saint-Saëns had plans to create Samson et Dalila as an oratorio until his librettist, Lemaire, convinced him that the plot was much more suitable for the full drama of an opera. In late-nineteenth-century France, however, the biblical setting posed a significant problem because religious subjects on the stage were frowned upon.
Indeed, once completed, Samson et Dalila could not initially be staged in the composer’s home country. Due to the influence and support of Franz Liszt, Saint-Saëns was able to secure the Hoftheater in Weimer for the premiere in 1877.
In 1890, Saint-Saëns finally produced Samson et Dalila in France—first at Rouen, then in Paris at a small venue. Fifteen years after it first premiered, the opera was brought to the stage of the Opéra de Paris in 1892.
Despite its early difficulties, Samson et Dalila remains Saint-Saëns’ most celebrated opera, characterized by the composer’s vivid emotional insights and orchestral brilliance.
Synopsis
Act I
A crowd of enslaved Hebrews prays for deliverance from their conquerors, the tyrannical Philistines. Samson tells the Hebrews that God has spoken to him—it is time for the Hebrews to take arms and rise up against their oppressors.
Abimélech, the governor of Gaza, orders the Hebrews to fall silent, but Samson instead exhorts his followers to battle. In the ensuing fight, Abimélech falls dead. The High Priest of Dagon orders his guards to stop the Hebrews’ rebellion, but the guards are immobilized by an unexplained feeling of terror. Word arrives that Samson and the Hebrews are now destroying the harvest in the fields. The High Priest vows to crush them once and for all.
Samson’s former lover Dalila and other Philistine women emerge from the temple, and Dalila provocatively invites Samson to her home. Samson, torn between his devotion to his people and his lust for the Philistine woman, is urged by an old Hebrew man to resist Dalila’s invitation.
Act II
Dalila awaits Samson’s visit, confident that he cannot resist her charms. The High Priest proposes that she deliver Samson into the hands of the Philistines, thereby ensuring an easy victory over the leaderless Hebrews. Dalila readily agrees.
When Samson arrives, Dalila greets him with words of love. She asks him to prove his devotion by revealing the secret of his strength. Samson refuses. Dalila furiously goes into her house. Unable to resist, Samson follows her inside. At Dalila’s signal, Philistine soldiers storm the house to take Samson prisoner.
Act III
Blinded and shorn, Samson is a prisoner of the Philistines. Samson prays once more for the freedom of his people.
In the temple of Dagon, the Philistines celebrate their victory with a bacchanale. Samson is led in so that Dalila and everyone present can insult him. Dalila and the High Priest preside over the offering to Dagon. Samson prays to God to grant him his former strength so that he can avenge his people. With one last mighty effort, Samson overturns the pillars, sending the temple crashing down on everyone inside.
Meet the Artists
Listen to the Story
Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641), Samson and Delilah (1630) [].
Presented by Washington National Opera, host Saul Lilienstein takes you through the musical world of Saint-Saëns’ 1877 biblical epic opera, Samson and Delilah.
Watch an Excerpt
The Met’s 2018 Samson and Delilah. Anita Rachvelishvili sings Dalila’s Act II aria.
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