Samson and Dalila | 61st International Wratislavia Cantans Festival in honour of Andrzej Markowski

The 61st edition of the International Wratislavia Cantans Festival in honour of Andrzej Markowski will open with Camille Saint-Saëns' opera "Samson and Dalila". The composer was thirty-three years old when he began work on this masterpiece - a symbolic age that mirrors the libretto's content: Samson, the biblical equivalent of Hercules, strikes fear into his enemies but falls victim to passion and ultimately discovers that true heroism demands self-sacrifice.

Saint-Saëns initially intended to write an oratorio without staged action. The librettist and poet Ferdinand Lemaire persuaded him to change the form. The composer ultimately chose opera - following the example of Rossini and Verdi, who drew on biblical themes - and found in the Old Testament story tensions worthy of Italian models and the works of Richard Wagner. The tale of a warrior with superhuman strength allowed him to introduce elements close to French taste: a dance scene, stylizations evoking Middle Eastern music, and a spectacular finale.

Work on the opera stretched over many years. As early as 1868, Saint-Saëns presented the second act at a private hearing, but without success, and further progress was hampered by his involvement in the Franco-Prussian War and the events of the Paris Commune. Ferenc Liszt encouraged him to complete the work, promising its premiere in Weimar - and kept his word: the world premiere in German version took place there in 1877. The Paris Opera audience waited another fifteen years, but when they finally heard the opera, they received it with enthusiasm. Samson and Dalila remains to this day Saint-Saëns' only opera in the permanent repertoire.

At the concert, the title roles will be performed by Brian Jagde and Anita Rachvelishvili, with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic playing under the baton of Thomas Guggeis - music director of Frankfurt Opera.

Programme:
Camille Saint-Saëns Samson and Dalila op. 47 - opera in concert version

Performers:
Thomas Guggeis - conductor
Brian Jagde - Samson (tenor)
Anita Rachvelishvili - Dalila (mezzo-soprano)
Kostas Smori