Dalila

Dalila (Delilah) (Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila). Mezzo-Soprano. Philistine who, rejected by the Hebrew Samson, determines revenge. Woos him and cuts off his hair, the secret of his enormous strength. Aria: Mon cœur s'ouvre á ta voix (‘My heart opens to your voice’ - more often translated as ‘Softly awakes my heart’). Among famous singers of this role are Ebe Stignani, Fedora Barbieri, Giulietta Simionato, Shirley Verrett, Agnes Baltsa, and Olga Borodina. Created (1877) by Auguste von Müller.