This is a wild fantasy for solo flute and orchestra based on themes from Camille Saint-Saens' 19th C. opera "Samson et Dalilah." The virtuoso flutist plays the roles of both the hero and the heroine. The story is audibly set in the Middle East. At the end, the temple collapses. My aim was to make this 'fantaisie' as colorful and dramatic as possible. There are also some touches of humor, that I think might have amused Saint-Saens (who had a devilish, irrepressible sense of humor.) . This 'fantaisie' was first performed in my arrangement for flute and piano, by my wife, the glorious French flutist Isabelle Chapuis, at the annual convention of the California Music Teachers Association. Subsequently, it was performed by the American flute virtuoso Robert Stallman and the remarkable accompanist, Dmitri Cogan.

Although there are 19th and 20th C. flute 'fantasies' on literally hundreds of operas, strangely enough I could not find any other flute 'fantasies' on "Samson et Dalilah," despite the fact that "Samson" is not only Saint-Saens' most successful opera, it is also the third-most performed of all French operas (after "Carmen" and "Faust.") And it contains the most sublime aria (actually a duet) in all of French opera: "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix." Now, flutists can perform it, too. My concert reduction for flute and piano is also available on Score Exchange.

If any flutist or orchestra would like to program this work in the near future, they should contact me directly through Score Exchange. The orchestral parts are not yet ready for performance. With a definite performance date, I could schedule the realization of the extensive orchestral materials.

MS