[Met Performance] CID:152180



Samson et Dalila
Metropolitan Opera House, Sat, December 10, 1949




Samson et Dalila (74)
Camille Saint-Sa?ns | Ferdinand Lemaire
Samson
Ramon Vinay

Dalila
Blanche Thebom

High Priest
Robert Merrill

Abim?lech
Lorenzo Alvary

Old Hebrew
Dezs? Ernster

Philistine
John Baker

Messenger
Emery Darcy

Dance
Marina Svetlova

Dance
Audrey Keane

Dance
Tilda Morse

Dance
Peggy Smithers

Dance
Muriel Ives

Dance
Natalie Kelepovska

Dance
Leon Varkas

Dance
Alfred Corvino

Dance
Willard Leroux


Conductor
Emil Cooper







Review 1:

Francis D. Perkins in the Herald Tribune

New Dalila is Heard

 

A new Dalila, Blanche Thebom, tempted the Samson of Ramon Vinay Saturday night in the season’s third performance of Saint-Saens’s “Samson et Dalila” at the Metropolitan Opera House. Miss Thebom, who had not sung the role before in this theater, gave it an impersonation that was pleasing to the eye; her voice also seemed well suited in quality to Dalila’s music. There was some unevenness, however, in its production, with tones calling for a closer focus and more consistent firmness in addition to those exhibiting the warm and ingratiating quality which makes her singing at its best. Visually her interpretation was generally appealing, but at times gave a hint of premeditation rather than of spontaneity; the expressive assets of her singing were at times fully revealed; at others her musical interpretation suggested a potential rather than an actual command of the emotional resources of the character.

The other newcomer to the cast was Lorenzo Alvary in the short-lived assignment of Abimelech. Robert Merrill reappeared as the High Priest, Deszo Ernster as the Old Hebrew and Emil Cooper conducted.



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