Palestine, 1150 B.C.: In a square in Gaza, a group of Hebrews begs Jehovah for relief from their bondage to the Philistines; Samson, their leader, rebukes them for their lack of faith. When the Philistine commander, Abim?lech, denounces the Hebrews and their God, Samson kills him and leads the Hebrews away.
Dallas, Friday, October 20: Dramatic tenor Clifton Forbis takes the stage at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Forbis, stars as Samson in the initial main-stage offering of The Dallas Opera 2017-2018 Motives Unmasked! Season in Camille Saint-Sa?ns? glorious nineteenth-century grand opera, Samson & Dalila.
Enter Dalila, the seductress with a talent for men?s hearts who looks to capture Samson?s strength. The legendary, Grammy Award-winning, mezzo-soprano, Olga Borodina, who came to prominence in 1992 when she starred opposite Pl?cido Domingo in Samson at London?s Covent Garden, will reprise the role of Dalila for The Dallas Opera.
In the Valley of Sorek, Dalila calls on her gods to help her ensnare and disarm Samson, promising the High Priest to find a way to render the hero powerless Samson appears, passionate in spite of himself; when Dalila has him in her power, she feigns disbelief in his constancy and demands that he show his love by confiding in her the secret of his strength, weeping when he refuses. Samson reveals his strength and falls into Dalila?s trap.
In a dungeon at Gaza, Samson prays to Jehovah to restore his strength, and with a mighty effort he pulls down the pillars and the temple, crushing himself and his foes.
?If any show is guaranteed to bring the house down on opening night?it?s this one!? Says Keith Cerny, the Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, he continues, ?We?ve assembled a superb cast and off-stage team for our season-opening production, to breathe life into an exciting and accessible grand opera that hasn?t been seen on our stage in nearly half a century! We are especially pleased to be giving Dallas audiences the chance to personally experience the world-class artistry of Olga Borodina and Clifton Forbis; however, I?m certain patrons will be just as swept away by the power and beauty of this terrific ensemble of principal singers and the amazing Dallas Opera Chorus.?
Samson & Dalila will be staged by internationally acclaimed German director Bruno Berger-Gorski in his TDO debut. He has been described as ?the only active German opera director who has staged operas on four continents? including more than a hundred from the standard repertoire. Mr. Berger-Gorski is also considered a champion of rarely performed, unusual, or contemporary works, such as Dirk d?Ase?s Einstein, Gomes? Condor for the Festival, Wolf-Ferrari?s Sly, and Offenbach?s Rheinnixon.
Samson & Dalila is a powerful performance and an opera you don?t want to miss choreographed by Nycole Ray, artistic director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre: Encore!, in her Dallas Opera debut along with lighting design is by Allen Burrett and set design by Peter Dean Beck for the Pittsburgh Opera. Carrie Robbins designed the costumes for the San Francisco Opera.
For more information or to make your purchase, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online, 24/7, at www.dallasopera.org.
Special note: The Samson & Dalila performance on Wednesday, October 25th will be conducted by special guest Pierre Vallet, in his Dallas Opera debut. Praised for the elegance and intensity of his performances, Maestro Vallet is a long-serving member of the Metropolitan Opera Conductors Staff. He also conducts at Paris National Opera; the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow; Sweden?s G?teborg Opera; Barcelona?s Gran Teatro del Liceu; the Saito Kinen Festival and in many other prestigious houses and venues throughout Europe and Asia. The New York Times even cited Vallet for conducting one of the ?Ten Best Classical Performances in New York City? in 2016.