Following my posting 5 June 2023, please note that I have now received a file from Andy, containing the missing section (Act Two finale). Thus one can assume that it has now been restored to the master files......and -my goodness- it was worth waiting for!!!

Be warned that Track 3 of Disc 2 (I'm talking about the download) is missing. This is the entire finale of Act Two.I have tried re-downloading the files twice more but the result is the same. This is a shame, because the last scene of Act 2 (a crucial moment, you will agree, leading up to Samson's cry of 'Traison!') is gone...straight after Dalila's aria, we jump straight into Act 3! There is no sign of Dalila's 'evil laughter' mentioned by David Reynolds in his review.The fact that the track listings display tracks 2 and 4 (but not 3) suggests that this is a simple glitch, not missing music (which would have been noted in the listing). HOWEVER, I HAVE EMAILED ANDY FOUR TIMES ABOUT THIS BUT HAVE FAILED TO RECEIVE A RESPONSE...

...I should have mentioned that my award of 5 stars is -of course- for the wonderful performance, not for the so-far unacknowledged and unsolved technical problem!

I agree with Andy and Mr. Reynolds on this Samson et Dalila. It is a nice addition to my collection.

Even after she decided to pursue soprano roles, Shirley Verrett often returned to the role of Dalila. This performance finds her singing the role with that refulgent, seductive tone that made hers one of the great voices of the last century. The top is thrilling and meltingly beautiful in the middle. Her "Mon coeur s'ouvre à ta voix" could make anyone weak at the knees, let alone Samson. She not only sings the unwritten, but traditional B-flat in "Amour! Viens aider ma faiblesse", but makes sure we hear her joining the sopranos on the optional (for Dalila) high B just before the end. She crowns the end of the second act with some evil laughter too. The audience adores her.Richard Cassilly sings Samson with great strength and conviction, providing effortless top B-flats whenever the composer requires them. Robert Massard is a first-rate High Priest while Leonardo Monreale is an excellent Old Hebrew with a firm low E (?) at the end of Act One. Georges Pretre leads a dramatic, enjoyable performance. The Bacchanal in the last scene must've been something to see because the audience stops the show to applaud. Some critics insist it's cheap, kitschy music, but that suits the plot and situation to a T. The broadcast sound is very good. A famous broadcast, now made available again at a very reasonable price by Opera Depot.