Shirley Verrett
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Shirley Verrett was an American operatic mezzo-soprano who successfully transitioned into soprano roles making her a Soprano sfogato. Verrett enjoyed great fame from the late 1960s through the 1990s; she was particularly well known for singing the works of Verdi and Donizetti.
Samson and Delilah (opera)
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Samson and Delilah, Op. 47, is a grand opera in three acts and four scenes by Camille Saint-Saëns to a French libretto by Ferdinand Lemaire. It was first performed in Weimar at the Grossherzogliches Theater on 2 December 1877 in a German translation.
The role of Dalila was written for Pauline Viardot (1821–1910) (pictured) but the singer was too old to assay the role for the 2 December 1877 Weimar premiere and the role was entrusted to Auguste von Müller.
Franz Liszt (1811–1886) was an enthusiastic supporter of Samson et Dalila and was instrumental in arranging the first production in Weimar. (Photograph, 1870)
The Grand Ducal Theater in Weimar (now the Staatskapelle Weimar) was the site of the premiere of the complete Samson et Dalila on 2 December 1877.