Richard Jones’ tacky Samson et Dalila fails to bring down the house

Bacchanale, Act 3

Elīna Garanča (Dalila)

Elīna Garanča (Dalila) and SeokJong Baek (Samson)

Samson et Dalila

Łukasz Goliński (High Priest) and Elīna Garanča (Dalila)

Par Mark Pullinger, 27 mai 2022

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“the Bacchanale was much more sultry and steamy in the pit than anything on the stage”

Critique faite à Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Londres, le 26 mai 2022

Saint-Saëns, Samson et Dalila

The Royal Opera

Sir Antonio Pappano, Direction

Richard Jones, Mise en scène

Hyemi Shin, Décors

Nicky Gillibrand, Costumes

Andreas Fuchs, Lumières

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Royal Opera Chorus

SeokJong Baek, Samson

Elīna Garanča, Dalila

Łukasz Goliński, Grand Prêtre de Dagon

Blaise Malaba, Abimélech

Goderdzi Janelidze, Le Vieil Hébreu

Alan Pingarrón, Premier Philistin

Chuma Sijeqa, Second Philistin

Thando Mjandana, Messager Philistin

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.

Richard Jones’ tacky Samson et Dalila fails to bring down the house at Covent Garden