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Sampson and Delilah – Saint-Saen

The Hebrews find themselves without their God and the Philistines have taken over their land and government. Samson was sent by the Hebrew God to attempt to get the land back and the Gods demolished.

Does Samson represent liberty-fighters of today in 2009? Are the dejected Philistines the general citizens of the new America where the government is asked to lead us?

Samson is told by God not to cut his hair and lead the Hebrews back to freedom. Is this a parable on what we find today in America? Set the Gods aside and look and listen to Samson’s words…..Samson speaks for all Americans who feel the pressure from a government that reduces the individual freedoms that we share with the dejected Hebrews.

The Philistine Patriot Act has a devious plan to bring back Samson’s lost lover Delilah. She is the set up to make love to Samson and cut his hair. Even had they been a Democracy it would not have stopped the Government from getting rid of Samson. He, like Ron Paul had the attention of the mob. They rise up in revolt and the Philistine priest sees the wrath of God in the sky and backs away and Samson strangles him to his death.

Today America has no wrath of anything and in fact they want their one God to be instilled into the government to force everyone to worship him. We are weakened by this desire to bring Christianity to the world. We who do not follow this integration of church and state have a collective statement. “The answer is Freedom; what is the question?”

In many of the classic stories, freedom is the answer and in opera it comes about with the most glorious music possible. In the opera, the Hebrews believe that Samson has won but they haven’t met Delilah. She is introduced as the ultimate love from heaven. She proves she is up to the task. The love scenes steal the air from the room even when being watched in my office.

I made a friend on line years ago and we discussed the perfect production of Samson and Delilah that I saw in San Francisco. He was a policeman from Philadelphia who was an opera buff. He made a copy of his VHS and sent it to me. It was a live production from San Francisco and is among my most proud possessions.

I have seen this opera in person many times and each time I feel a relationship with the down-trodden Hebrews as I have seen my own nation losing their freedoms from an over powering government on both sides of the aisle.

Poor Samson gets seduced and of course Delilah cuts his hair. They throw Samson in prison for many years but do not realize his hair is growing again. His strength is restored in the most dramatic and beautiful finale in grand opera. He brings the house down on everyone including himself.

I can relate to the moral of the story but I am too old to recognize a Samson in our midst. Of course Domingo is older now but no less magnetic. Somewhere in America there is a man who will stand up to the oppressive government that has caught us all by the short hair.

Sandra Price

May 19, 2009