One of the most grown-up review sites around

2020
54,416 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here

     
  
 

 

International mailing


 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
Plain text for smartphones
and printers


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All APR reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

 

 

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from:

Camille SAINT-SAËNS (1835-1921)
Samson et Dalila - Opera in three acts (1877) [125:00]
Samson - José Cura (tenor, designer, director); Dalila - Julia Gertseva (mezzo); High Priest of Dagon - Stefan Stoll (baritone); Abimelech - Lukas Schmid (baritone); An Old Hebrew - Walter Schreyeck; Voice of the Old Hebrew - Ulrich Schneider (bass); Philistine Messenger - Andreas Heideker (tenor); Philistine Soldiers - Sebastian Haake (tenor) & Alexander de Paula (bass); Young Hebrew - Sebastian Schaible
Orchestra and Chorus of the Badisches Staatstheater/Jochem Hochstenbach
rec. live, Badisches Staatstheater, 22, 24 October 2010
Sound format - PCM Stereo, DD 5.1
Picture format - 16:9
NTSC Region Code 0
Subtitles in French, English, German, Spanish, Italian and Korean
C MAJOR 101631 [125:00]

Experience Classicsonline


José Cura shows off his many talents on this disc. Not only does he sing the main role, a part seldom absent from the stage, but he also designs and directs this production. In addition he has written a brief introduction to the production in the booklet which is helpful in explaining much that is confusing to the viewer. His concern is more with the religious fanaticism displayed by both side, the Israelites and the Philistines, rather than with depicting either side as morally superior to the other. Indeed his aim is to show that only by destroying both groups of extremists can a fresh start be made by the survivors after Samson’s destruction of the setting. However whilst this may be admirable as an intended moral viewpoint what we actually see in this production is far less clear. In particular, despite the many references in Cura’s note to the innocence and purifying effect of the children, this is not readily apparent to the viewer. The ending, where according to the note “Samson sends the little ones away, saving their lives. As he destroys the camp, burying the old way of life, his teenage alter ego leaves with the children, leading them to safety, to a fresh start free of the hatred and the bigotry, the violence and the vengeance”. This would be fine but is not what we see. The video director - uncredited but presumably Cura again - is inordinately fond of dissolves and fades, and close shots where what is being seen is unclear. There is a general lack of clarity as to what is happening. If you did not know the biblical story already you might even be forgiven for realising that Samson had destroyed the pagan temple - or oil installation.
 
To add to the viewer’s confusion although this is described as being taken from live performances the audience are never apparent and at the end, where clearly the composer expected the curtain to fall quickly amid suitable applause, we hear instead the Israelites lamenting again - or perhaps it is the Philistines as the former would presumably be happy to see their enemies destroyed. All in all I found it hard to avoid the conclusion that in this production “confusion has made his masterpiece”.
 
However despite this apparently wholly negative conclusion this is nonetheless a very satisfactory performance of the opera in musical terms. Cura as tenor remains an artist of the first magnitude and gives a very satisfying and complete performance of a difficult role. He manages to encompass all the different aspects of Samson. Similarly Julia Gertseva is a fine Dalila, again meeting the various demands of the role as temptress and as almost virago. The other characters are all well cast and the orchestra and chorus are alert under Jochem Hochstenbach’s purposeful conducting.
 
Overall this is a recording of the opera that is well worth hearing, capturing the essence of the composer’s genius in characterisation and dramatic flow. Like all too many opera DVDs however it is seriously let down by the production. I am sure that I will listen to it again, and equally sure that I will have little wish to see it.  

John Sheppard
 

Support us financially by purchasing this disc from:


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Pat and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.