SAMSON AND DELILAH IN CONCERT Seattle Opera January 20, 2023 Eclectic Arts Media
SAMSON & DELILAH IN CONCERT
Seattle Opera
Music: Camille Saint Saens
Libretto: Ferdinand Lemaire
McCaw Hall
Seattle, WA
January 20, 2023 7:30pm
A story told in three acts, this Seattle Opera concert event featured a highly anticipated local talent and an international tenor, both making their Seattle Opera debuts. J’Nai Bridges as Delilah and Yonghoon Lee as Samson along with fan favorite Greer Grimsley as the High Priest of Dagon.
This performance was a concert, not a full blown production with costume changes, scenery changes, and the like. The orchestra was on the stage led by another fan favorite conductor Ludovic Morlot.
For the unfamiliar like myself, the music is absolutely beautiful. From the first opening number, I was swept away and immediately wished this was a fully staged production so I could see this opera come to life along with the music.
Yonghoon Lee was consistently strong throughout the concert. His range was robust and he really brought an emotional depth to the character. Again, I can only imagine what his performance would have been like had this been a full production.
J’Nai Bridges was also wonderfully in character as she sang her heart out to all of the patrons within McCaw Hall. Her tonality and range really provided a fantastic pairing with Yonghoon Lee’s vocal acrobatics. Together, they worked extremely well.
All throughout this concert all I could think of was how much I wished this was a full production. In other words, I thought the performance Friday evening was beautiful.
Perhaps in a future season, we will get a full production of this opera. But, until then, I can only hope that J’Nai Bridges and Yonghoon Lee make their way back to the Seattle Opera sooner rather than later in a fully staged opera production.
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media Links Here
Seattle Opera
Music: Camille Saint Saens
Libretto: Ferdinand Lemaire
McCaw Hall
Seattle, WA
January 20, 2023 7:30pm
(Yonghoon Lee (left) as Samson and J'Nai Bridges (right) as Delilah in SAMSON AND DELILAH IN CONCERT. Photo credit: Sunny Martini.)
A story told in three acts, this Seattle Opera concert event featured a highly anticipated local talent and an international tenor, both making their Seattle Opera debuts. J’Nai Bridges as Delilah and Yonghoon Lee as Samson along with fan favorite Greer Grimsley as the High Priest of Dagon.
This performance was a concert, not a full blown production with costume changes, scenery changes, and the like. The orchestra was on the stage led by another fan favorite conductor Ludovic Morlot.
For the unfamiliar like myself, the music is absolutely beautiful. From the first opening number, I was swept away and immediately wished this was a fully staged production so I could see this opera come to life along with the music.
Yonghoon Lee was consistently strong throughout the concert. His range was robust and he really brought an emotional depth to the character. Again, I can only imagine what his performance would have been like had this been a full production.
(Yonghoon Lee as Samson in SAMSON AND DELILAH IN CONCERT. Photo credit: Sunny Martini.)
J’Nai Bridges was also wonderfully in character as she sang her heart out to all of the patrons within McCaw Hall. Her tonality and range really provided a fantastic pairing with Yonghoon Lee’s vocal acrobatics. Together, they worked extremely well.
All throughout this concert all I could think of was how much I wished this was a full production. In other words, I thought the performance Friday evening was beautiful.
Perhaps in a future season, we will get a full production of this opera. But, until then, I can only hope that J’Nai Bridges and Yonghoon Lee make their way back to the Seattle Opera sooner rather than later in a fully staged opera production.
Best,
Mark Sugiyama
Eclectic Arts Media
Connect with Eclectic Arts Media: Social Media Links Here
(Conductor Ludovic Morlot leads the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera Chorus in SAMSON AND DELILAH IN CONCERT. Photo credit: Sunny Martini.)
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