L.A. to share ‘Samson’ with Israelis

Academy Award-winning film director William Friedkin (“The Exorcist,” “The French Connection”) will direct a new production of Saint-Saens’ “Samson et Dalila” for the New Israeli Opera and Los Angeles Opera, the two companies jointly confirmed Monday.

The production will premiere in Tel Aviv in June 2005, then receive its Los Angeles premiere in October 2005. Placido Domingo, L.A. Opera general director, will sing the role of Samson for one night only as part of the company’s 20th anniversary season.

Friedkin directed a highly successful L.A. Opera pairing of Bartok’s “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle” and Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” in 2002 and will return in September to direct Strauss’ “Ariadne auf Naxos.” He had announced he would also direct a production of Wagner’s “Tannhauser” for the company in the 2004-05 season, but an L.A. Opera spokesman said that production has been delayed. No new date has been scheduled.

As part of the ongoing collaboration with New Israeli Opera, Maximilian Schell’s production of Strauss’ “Der Rosenkavalier,” which will premiere in L.A. in May 2005, will go to Tel Aviv in 2006.