Krisitan Benedikt Makes Met Opera Debut In Act 3 of ‘Samson Et Dalila’

By David Salazar

Tenor Kristian Benedikt made his Metropolitan Opera debut during Monday night’s performance of “Samson et Dalila,” stepping in for an ailing Roberto Alagna in the third act of the opera.

Benedikt was previously scheduled to make his debut in the title role of the Saint-Saëns opera during the run in the Spring, but it seemed inevitable that he would step in at some point during the first performances of this new production by Darko Tresnjak. It was reported that the tenor had walked through the staging prior to Friday’s performance of the opera, but Alagna wound up performing.

Alagna’s performances thus far have not been favorable. In addition to being unable to finish Monday’s showcase, he struggled through the opening night performance, with OperaWire’s review noting, “Things didn’t get much better in Act three as Alagna’s ascension into the passaggio and beyond was met with a raspy tone that grew coarser and coarser until the climactic high B flat at the close of the evening that the tenor had to cut short because, well, he didn’t have it.”

Now the focus shifts to the remainder of the run and especially the final performance on Oct. 20, which will be simulcast as part of the Met’s Live in HD series.

Alagna is scheduled to sing five more performances in total.

Here is an excerpt of Benedikt performing in “Samson et Dalila.”

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