Watch Saint-Saëns’s biblical epic based on the tale of Samson and Delilah from the Book of Judges. Starring tenor Roberto Alagna and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča in the title roles. Sir Mark Elder conducts.
About the Episode
Premieres nationwide Sunday, March 24 at 12 p.m. on PBS (check local listings)
Season 13 of Great Performances at the Met continues Sunday, March 24 at 12 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) with Saint-Saëns’s epic Samson et Dalila. Based on the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah from the Book of Judges, the opera stars Elīna Garanča and Roberto Alagna in the title roles alongside Laurent Naouri, Elchin Azizov, and Dmitry Belosselskiy. Sir Mark Elder conducts.
Darko Tresnjak’s production is set in 1150 BC, where the mighty Samson fights vigilantly to free the ancient Israelites from their bondage underthe Philistines. The High Priest of Dagon, angry with Samson after he kills the Philistine governor Ambimélech, plots to destroy Samson by utilizing the beauty of his former lover, Dalila. A passionate Samson falls prey to Dalila’s seduction, causing the secret to his superhuman strength, his long hair, to be revealed. After being ambushed by the Philistines, a weakened and vulnerable Samson must face the High Priest of Dagon and perform the ultimate sacrifice to save his people. Susan Graham hosts.
Airdates:
National: Sunday, March 24 at 12 p.m. on PBS New York metro area: Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m. on THIRTEEN
Notable Talent:
Elīna Garanča – Dalila
Roberto Alagna – Samson
Laurent Naouri – High Priest of Dagon
Elchin Azizov – Ambimélech
Dmitry Belosselskiy – The Old Hebrew
Susan Graham – hosts
Run time: 2.5 hours
Production Credits:
Sir Mark Elder – Conductor
Darko Tresnjak – Production
Alexander Dodge – Set Designer
Donald Holder – Lighting Designer
Austin McCormick – Choreographer
For the Met, Gary Halvorson directs the telecast. David Frost is Music Producer. Mia Bongiovanni and Elena Park are Supervising Producers, and Louisa Briccetti and Victoria Warivonchik are Producers. Peter Gelb is Executive Producer. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is Series Producer; David Horn is Executive Producer.
Underwriters:
Corporate support for Great Performances at the Met is provided by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder®. Major funding for the Met Opera presentation is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts. This Great Performances presentation is funded by the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Arts Fund, The Joseph and Robert Cornell Memorial Foundation and public television viewers.
About WNET
WNET is America’s flagship PBS station: parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, the statewide public media network in New Jersey. WLIW21 is home to ALL ARTS, a new multi-platform home for art, artists and arts lovers. Through its broadcast channels, three cable services (THIRTEEN PBSKids, Create and World) and online streaming sites, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to more than five million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, PBS NewsHour Weekend, the new nightly interview program Amanpour and Company and a range of documentaries, children’s programs, and local news and cultural offerings. WNET’s groundbreaking series for children and young adults include Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase as well as Mission US, the award-winning interactive history experience. WNET highlights the tri-state’s unique issues and culture through NJTV News with Mary Alice Williams and MetroFocus, NYC-ARTS, Treasures of New York, Theater Close-Up, and WLIW Arts Beat. WNET creates online-only programming, including the award-winning series about gender identity,First Person. Through multi-platform initiatives Chasing the Dream: Poverty and Opportunity in America and Peril and Promise: The Challenge of Climate Change, WNET showcases the human stories around these issues and promising solutions. The weekly program SciTech Now explores the nexus of new ideas in science and technology. Through THIRTEEN Passport and WLIW Passport, station members can stream new and archival THIRTEEN, WLIW and PBS programming anytime, anywhere.
About The Met
Under the leadership of General Manager Peter Gelb and Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin, The Metropolitan Opera is one of America’s leading performing arts organizations and a vibrant home for the world’s most creative and talented artists, including singers, conductors, composers, orchestra musicians, stage directors, designers, visual artists, choreographers, and dancers. The company presents more than 200 performances each season of a wide variety of operas, ranging from early masterpieces to contemporary works. In recent years, the Met has launched many initiatives designed to make opera more accessible, most prominently the Live in HD series of cinema transmissions, which dramatically expands the Met audience by allowing select performances to be seen in more than 2,200 theaters in more than 70 countries around the world.
Behold the Bible's most infamous couple, Samson and Delilah.
As the enslaved Israelites turn to the heroic Samson to defeat their Philistine captors, will the dangerous Delilah bring him down?
Look for Roberto Alagna and l na Garan a in this seductive, stunning production of Saint-Saëëns'''s 'Samson et Dalila,' on Great Performances at the Met.
