Hector Berlioz (1803-1860) completed three operas. The second of these, Les Troyens, is based on Books Two and Four of the Aeneid. Berlioz wrote the libretto himself. It took him two years to write the words and music for the opera, from 1856 to 1858. Most musicologists consider it to be his masterpiece. It’s as impressive as it is long – about four hours and twenty minutes, not counting intermissions. I prefer Benvenuto Cellini, but that’s just a personal opinion. I have seen both operas in performance at the Met. The Trojans is a bladder buster.
The Trojans was never performed in its complete two-part form during Berlioz’s lifetime. A truncated version of Part II was performed at the Théâtre Lyrique in 1863. It made a profound impression on musicians. Meyerbeer is said to have attended 12 performances of this first staging. The first staged performance of the whole opera took place only in 1890, 21 years after Berlioz’s death. The two parts were given on consecutive nights. It is now customary to present the whole opera on a single evening.
The first act depicts the fall of Troy. The Trojan Horse has led to the downfall of the city. The second scene of Act 2 is in Priam’s palace. It’s about to be overrun by Greek soldiers. Cassandre, whose prophesies are as ignored as they are accurate, stabs herself as the Greeks enter. The rest of the Trojan women do likewise committing mass suicide. Cassandre summons one last cry of “Italie!” before collapsing, dead. Énée (Aeneas) is headed there to found Rome. He stops in Carthage (Acts 3-5) before finally going to the peninsula.
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) was perhaps the greatest musical child prodigy ever. He grew up to be both a virtuoso organist and pianist. As a composer, his music was, and still is, often performed. He composed in almost every genre of music. Of his 12 operas, only Samson et Dalila is part of the standard operatic repertory. During the composer’s life Henry VIII was more popular. The little bits of it I’ve heard suggest that it might deserve a reconsideration.
There’s no need to recite the story of Samson and Delilah as virtually everyone knows it. The opera ends with the blinded Samson shorn of his power giving locks, praying to God for one more chance.
The Philistines are having a great time celebrating their victory over Samson. Following the famous Bacchanal Samson enters led by a boy. He is ridiculed by the High Priest and the crowd. Dalila taunts Samson further by recounting to him the details of her devious plot in a variant of her love song. When the priests try to force him to kneel before Dagon, he asks the boy to lead him to the two main pillars of the temple, then telling the child to flee. Samson prays to God to restore his strength, and pushes down the pillars and the temple with them, crushing himself and his enemies.
There’s no exact number of Philistines buried by Samson’s anti-architectural feat, because I don’t know the capacity of the Temple of Dagon. But it was a lot.
