from Act I of the French opera
Samson et Dalila by Camille Saint-Saëns
Libretto: Ferdinand Lemaire
Role: Abimélech, Philistine satrap of Gaza
Voice Part: bass
Setting: the public square of Gaza, ancient Palestine
Synopsis: Abimélech enters to find Samson enticing the Hebrew slaves to regain faith in their God and themselves. Abimélech denounces the Israelites' God as a fraud and proclaims the superiority of the Philistine god, Dagon.