C’is a dream cast. On the music, Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683-1764), the greatest of all French composers, according to Camille Saint-Saëns, the genius of the baroque who created The gallant Indies and of Platedthe artist rediscovered in France in the 1980s and 1990s thanks – in particular – to the patient work of William Christie and his Arts florissants. In the libretto, François-Marie Arouët known as “Voltaire” (1694-1778), the freest spirit of his time, the genius of the Enlightenment, whose stage work was eclipsed by tales and philosophical treatises.
Samson is the fruit of their collaboration which began in 1733. This opera, written based on the biblical story by an enthusiastic Voltaire, is composed by Rameau who then aspires to a formal revolution…
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But how on earth did this work end up on the programme of the Aix-en-Provence Festival? Samson has never been performed, and for good reason: in 1734, Voltaire’s libretto did not pass the censorship, and the score disappeared! Conductor Raphaël Pichon recounts his discovery at Point : “While becoming fascinated by Rameau’s life, while looking for a little-known work, I discovered this astonishing episode. Rameau composed his first opera at the age of fifty, he was already an old man! However, at that time, someone was very interested in opera, someone corrosive and brilliant: Voltaire. He went to see this Hippolyte and Aricie that everyone is talking about […] Read more
