[Met Performance] CID:130040



Samson et Dalila
Metropolitan Opera House, Fri, December 6, 1940

Debut : John Dudley, Arthur Kent, Emery Darcy, Ilona Murai




Samson et Dalila (66)
Camille Saint-Sa?ns | Ferdinand Lemaire
Samson
Ren? Maison

Dalila
Ris? Stevens

High Priest
Julius Huehn

Abim?lech
Norman Cordon

Old Hebrew
Nicola Moscona

Philistine
John Dudley [Debut]

Philistine
Arthur Kent [Debut]

Messenger
Emery Darcy [Debut]

Dance
Ruthanna Boris

Dance
Lillian Moore

Dance
Mary Sigler

Dance
Ilona Murai [Debut]

Dance
Grant Mouradoff

Dance
Josef Levinoff

Dance
Alexis Kosloff


Conductor
Wilfred Pelletier


Director
D?sir? Defr?re

Set Designer
Koeck-Meyer Studios

Costume Designer
Irene Sharaff [Ballet costumes only]

Choreographer
Boris Romanoff





Samson et Dalila received two performances this season.

Review 1:

Review of Francis D. Perkins in the Herald Tribune

"Samson" Heard In Revival Given At Metropolitan

Ris? Stevens and Maison Appear in Leading Roles of Saint-Saens Opera

Samson, as represented by Ren? Maison, dislodged the pillars of the Temple of Dagon at the Metropolitan Opera House for the first time in three years, minus two days. Actually, the capitals of the pillars rose heavenward last night about half a second before Samson gave them their lethal push, but the intent was obvious. Two Dalilas, Gertrude Wettergren and Bruna Castagna, had previously lured this admirable Samson, to the accompaniment of Saint-Saens's music, from the path dictated by religion and patriotism earlier in his Metropolitan career. This time he yielded to a new temptress who is a native daughter of New York, Ris? Stevens.

General Manager Edward Johnson also chose this revival of "Samson et Dalila" to introduce three of his new artists, Emery Darcy, John Dudley and Arthur Kent. They sang very acceptably, but the few lines allotted to the messenger and first and second Philistines gave little opportunity for offering a conclusive opinion about their vocal talents.

Miss Stevens's Dalila gave ample reason from a visual point of view for the relative brevity of Samson's resistance to temptation. But Dalila should tempt with voice as well as appearance, and Miss Stevens, one of the most promising younger members of the company, could not evoke the opulent vocal warmth which is necessary to give the ageing music all possible vitality and conviction. Her voice has its merits, including individuality of timbre and color, but it has been heard here with more effective volume. The higher notes fared best, but sometimes lacked focus, while the lower register seemed occasionally muffled. Her singing gained in clarity as the opera progressed, but the impersonation as a whole lacked the conviction which marks her Octavian or her Mignon.

Mr. Maison's voice also has its limitation, but the Belgian tenor, here heard in one of his most impressive roles, has an unusual ability to transcend them; to suggest a dramatic situation or a concentration of emotion in song. If there were some indications of a familiar tensity of tone, there was also more clarity than in recent previous seasons. His top notes, apart from one which went somewhat awry, had evenness and power, and the impersonation as a whole was the strong point of the production.

Julius Huehn sang creditably as a not particularly pontifical High Priest; Nicola Moscona was a well-intentioned Old Hebrew with not remarkably clear tones, and Norman Cordon's Abimelech was well enacted during the character's short life upon the stage. The chorus was in good form except when it tried an excess of tonal subtlety, the ballet danced athletically, and the orchestra played smoothly under Wilfred Pelletier's direction in this fairly meritorious performance.

Even with an ideal performance, however, it is questionable whether the score would be consistently interesting. It shows masterly draftsmanship; it is always well tailored and melodically fluent. But, between the well constructed and sometimes impressive choruses, Dalila's three airs and the pleasing Parisian Orientalism of the bacchanal, there is relatively little in the music which lingers in the memory of the homeward-bound operagoer, or of the office-bound newspaper critic.



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