The Metropolitan Opera’s 2018–2019 season launched September 24 with a new production of Saint-Saëns’ Samson et Dalila, directed by Tony Award winner Darko Tresnjak (Anastasia, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder).
Roberto Alagna and Elīna Garanča sing the title roles, with Elchin Azizov as Abimélech, Laurent Naouri as High Priest, and Dmitry Belosselskiy as the Old Hebrew.
Read what critics had to say about the opening night production below.
New York Magazine/Vulture (Justin Davidson)
The New York Times (Anthony Tommasini)
The Washington Post (Anne Midgette)
Playbill will continue to update this list as more reviews come in.
The new presentation of the biblical epic which weaves contemporary and ancient components. The aesthetic, was, in part, inspired by an iconic portrait of Gloria Swanson behind a veil. “The face behind the netting is both seductive and dangerous,” explains Tresnjak, who makes his Met debut with the staging, “so we looked for those ideas in architecture. What’s on the other side is sometimes deductive, it’s sometimes dangerous.”
Read: ANASTASIA DIRECTOR DARKO TRESNJAK ON MAKING HIS MET DEBUT
The production reunites him with several familiar collaborators, including costume designer Linda Cho, set designer Alexander Dodge, and lighting designer Donald Holder. Austin McCormick serves as choreographer.
Fall performances of Samson et Dalila continue through October 20; the production returns in March 2019 with a new cast led by Aleksandrs Antonenko and Anita Rachvelishvili.
