Wonderful recording. Both singers are very well. Del Monaco is a great Samson and Gorr an academic Dalila. She sings very well, but I prefer more passion in this part.

The sound is not actually bad, but it’s so recessed as to be almost useless for some (like me) who doesn’t know this opera. Still, you catch glimpses of a good performance.I’d say this recording is for a certain type of fan. You know who you are!

Definitely worth a listen. I'd describe the sound as poor to fair. Your ears will adjust but it's still a bit of a struggle.

I found this performance very enjoyable, and I would recommend it to anyone. The fact that the Baccanale is missing is not a big issue if your main real interest are the soloists. The only real problem with the sound is that it is recorded in house miked from he audience at a distance. As such, there is an overbalance of the sound that favors the orchestra over the soloists. I found that I could compensate for this by reducing the bass control and boosting the treble, which brings up the soloists voices. Nicola Rescigno, a world class operatic conductor,leads a rhythmic,appealing, and sensitive reading of a score that by nature wanders between opera and oratorio. Rita Gorr, a legendary Dalila of her time, scores with a huge voluminous sound that is lush, plush, and powerful, and captures well the character of Dalila ranging from her sexually seductive nature to her vengeful moods and betrayal of Samson. Sordello and Moscona deliver big round voiced seasoned accounts of roles they were well noted for. Mario Del Monaco, approaching fifty, still had a reputation as being the world's leading heroic dramatic Italian tenor. Del Monaco conveys accurately the varied aspects of the Samson character from his triumphant and glorious rise to power in the first act, to his romantic seduction by Dalila, to his final tragic fall in the third act. Thoughout the whole performance Del Monaco displays his unique vocal personality that made his sound instantly recognzable. Del Monaco's middle register is baritonal, and his top notes burst out with a ringing clanging sound with color that brings the housedown every time.

For those who are interested, this performance of Samson et Dalila is from the eigth season of the Dallas Civic Opera company, and it was given at the historic Music Hall at the Fair Park in Dallas, Texas, in November 1964.

I should like to know where is this performance from.