Samson et Dalila à Bastille : moderne, brutale

By Anne-Laure Faubert, 07 October 2016

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Reviewed at Opéra national de Paris: Opéra Bastille, Paris on 4 October 2016

Saint-Saëns, Samson et Dalila

Opéra national de Paris

Philippe Jordan, Conductor

Damiano Michieletto, Director

Paolo Fantin, Set Designer

Carla Teti, Costume Designer

Aleksandrs Antoņenko, Samson

Anita Rachvelishvili, Dalila

Egils Siliņš, High Priest of Dagon

Nicolas Testé, Abimélech

Frédéric Guieu, The Old Hebrew

Luca Sannai, First Philistine

Jian-Hong Zhao, Second Philistine

John Bernard, Philistine Messenger

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris

Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris

Pomp meets ping-pong: Nixon in China lands again in Paris

David Karlin, 14th March

Excellent vocal acting from Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, Xiaomeng Zhang and a magnificent orchestral performance conducted by Kent Nagano can't make Valentina Carrasco's production fully grip.

***11

Thomas Adès’ high-flying Exterminating Angel in Paris

Erwan Gentric, 29th February

The French premiere of the British composer's opera will be the undisputed high point of the Grande Boutique's season: a perfect confluence of music, staging and cast.

*****

Shock and awe in Paris with Bernstein's A Quiet Place

David Karlin, 9th March

In the expert hands of both director Warlikowski and conductor Kent Nagano, the sequel to Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti proves to be even darker and more dramatic.

*****

A long road to nowhere for Igor at the Bastille

Mark Pullinger, 1st December

Barrie Kosky's makes a limited impact in his debut at Opéra de Paris, apart from an hallucinogenic Polovtsian Dances.

***11

Les Indes galantes: with Alarcón, Rameau conquers the Bastille

Philippe Ramin, 28th September

The new production of Les Indes galantes at Opéra Bastille is exceptional, from the vocal cast to the choreography by Bintou Dembélé. But the stand-out performance of the evening comes from conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón.

*****

Don Giovanni according to Ivo van Hove: a puritan despite himself?

Pierre Liscia-Beaurenaut, 16th June

Don Giovanni returns to the Palais Garnier. The production by Ivo van Hove lacks energy but is wonderfully served by a cast of great young talents.

***11

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Anne-Laure Faubert

Diplômée de Sciences-Po Paris, Anne-Laure y a également étudié l’art et la littérature. Elle travaille ensuite dans les secteurs privé et public où elle suit notamment les audits de grandes institutions culturelles. Elle tient un blog depuis 2010 sur le ballet, la musique baroque et les voyages et écrit pour une fondation. Elle a créé en 2014 une société de médiation culturelle axée sur le costume et en 2015 une marque de gastronomie culturelle.

Samson et Dalila à l’Opéra Bastille : une transposition moderne et brutale controversée