The opera is based on the Biblical tale of Samson and Delilah found in Chapter 16 of the Book of Judges in the Old Testament It is the only opera by SaintSaëns that is regularly performed The second act love scene in Delilahs tent is one of the set pieces that define French opera Two of Delilahs arias are particularly well known Printemps qui commence and Mon cœur souvre à ta voix the latter of which is one of the most popular recital pieces in the mezzosopranocontralto repertoire Staged by greek director Yannis Kokkos and conducted by Valery Gergiev on May 25th 2016 at the Mariinsky Theatre
