Samson and Delilah Act I

Production:

Conductor: Patrick Summers
Production: Nicolas Joël
Director: Sandra Bernhard
Set Designer: Douglas W. Schmidt
Costume Designer: Carrie Robbins
Original Lighting Design: Thomas J. Munn
Choreographer: Kenneth von Heidecke

Cast:

Delilah: Olga Borodina
Samson: Clifton Forbis
The High Priest of Dagon: Juha Uusitalo
The Old Hebrew: Oren Gradus
Abimélech: Eric Jordan
Philistines’ messenger: Noah Stewart
First Philistine: Richard Walker
Second Philistine: Jere Torkelsen
 

Olga Borodina as Delilah

San Francisco's local critics were kind for a change. After all, San Francisco Opera’s general director David Gockley, was making a debut of sorts, staging his first full production of the new season. So Saint-Saëns' Samson and Delilah received polite if not positive reviews on the opening night.

Gockley also had popular sentiment on this side  one must remember, as he made the event a tribute of sorts to Luciano Pavarotti and to  lesser legends who performed with SFO in halcyon days. Much of what was lauded then was evident on the second night as well: but this was not a work for the ages.

Olga Borodina was (again) magnificent as Delilah, a reprise of the role she played here six years ago. She was slimmer then, but then who was not?  Her voice was full too, and made the audience realize at once that they were listening to one of this generation’s greatest mezzos. She’s a good actress, no question, and her seduction of a hapless Samson (tenor Clifton Forbis in his SFO debut) was convincing and wholly satisfying.

Clifton Forbis as Samson

When evaluating this particular opera, one always ponders the fragility of life. That sensation was made all the more palpable by the condition of this evening’s conductor, who was recovering from major knee surgery. Patrick Summers was not quite fit enough to surge from the wings to the front of the orchestra, but when he rose with baton in hand he immediately seized full control of the ensemble. Indeed, one felt that he had never been accorded more attention from the pit. The chorus also worked well under the maestro’s direction.

If a lasting impression was made by this particular performance, it came in the second act when Boradina revealed her strength as a singer and cagey actress. "Mon coeur s'ouvre ŕ ta voix" is signature piece here, and her singing with that of bass-baritone Juha Uusitalo as the High Priest, was simply wonderful.

Paul Duclos

Pictures © Terrence McCarthy