I love opera, and while this production was good, it didn't ignite my fire as much as it could have done. The opera I do like a lot, the story and characters are very memorable, but it is the music that I love most of all, especially Samson's big aria, Dalila's Mon Coeur Ta S'oeuvre Voix, the Bacchanel and the bring down the temple chorus. I will say what I liked about the production. The orchestra sizzle and the conducting from James Levine is superb. The chorus and choreography are beautifully balanced and intricate. Placido Domingo is in superb voice and is very committed as an actor, and Olga Borodina is a sumptuously sung and sexy Dalila. Mon Coeur Ta S'oeuvre Voix is beautifully understated and the bring down the temple chorus is edge-of-your-seat stuff. What I didn't like so much, is that the costumes and sets are rather unappealing on picture, but at least the video directing was really quite good. Sergei Leiferkus is a great singer and is effective as an actor(he was very chilling as Iago in the 1992 production of Otello), and while he is imposing and sings majestically, you can tell that French pronunciation is not his forte. And while Domingo and Borodina sing and act very well, their chemistry doesn't quite ignite as well as it should, some of their scenes together are a little detached in tone compared to other things I have seen these two do. Overall, disappointing but definitely worth a look. 7/10 Bethany Cox
Review of Samson et Dalila
