A limited number of printed program books will be available for $10 each at the concert.
Come to the Northern Foyer from 12pm to hear SPC Chorister and 2MBS Fine Music presenter Tom Forrester-Paton speak about Handel’s Samson. Grab a drink at the bar and enjoy this free, 45-minute talk, with plenty of time to find your seat for the 1pm concert.
Seating is on the carpeted stairs in the Northern Foyer.
Access the Northern Foyer via the new tunnel from the Southern Foyer.
2023 Pre-Concert Talks are made possible with the support of 2MBS Fine Music.
Hot on the heels of Messiah, Handel embarked on another masterpiece: a new oratorio on the story of Samson, the Bible’s original muscle man. This is Biblical drama at its very best – vividly imagined music composed with the finest actor-singers in mind, an opera in all but name.
Handel plunges into the action: we meet Samson, already shorn and blinded, living in a “total eclipse”, a broken prisoner of the Philistines. And over three acts, the music traces a psychological drama that ends with the destruction of the temple and the
hero’s ultimate redemption. This great but all too rarely performed oratorio shows Handel’s gift for musical characterisation with rousing choruses for devout Israelites and decadent Philistines, and exquisite arias, ranging from Dalila’s alluring music to the rejoicing sounds of “Let the bright Seraphim”, the much-loved highlight.
For Samson, Symphony Chorus, some of our favourite soloists and a massive orchestra (by baroque standards) will unite under the baton of Brett Weymark to bring the theatre into the concert hall. Join us to hear the Handel we all love: brilliant, heroic and triumphant!
Saturday 8 April 2023 at 1pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
This performance will run for 2 hours and 45 minutes, including one 20-minute interval.
HANDEL Samson
Brett Weymark conductor
Alexander Lewis tenor (Samson)
Celeste Lazarenko soprano (Israelite Woman, Dalila)
Russell Harcourt countertenor (Micah)
Christopher Richardson bass‑baritone (Manoa)
Andrew O’Connor bass (Harapha)
Symphony Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.
Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. Please note that we regularly update our guidelines based on health advice available at the time.