In this biblical story, Delilah withholds her charms until Samson tells his secret, then she cuts his hair as he sleeps, stealing his strength to serve the Philistine god Dagon. The Hebrews are defeated and Samson is captured, blinded, and enslaved. As the Philistines celebrate their triumph in a wild bacchanal, Samson asks the God of Israel to return his power long enough to pull Dagon's temple down on the Philistines, killing them all.

The audience was able to see the singers — who also included a Seattle Opera favorite, bass baritone Greer Grimsley as Dagon's high priest — up close and personal in a concert performance that trades full sets and costumes for an on-stage orchestra and chorus. In this exciting performance mode, the audience watches the orchestra play as the chorus performs on elevated risers behind them and soloists perform in front, flowing on and off the downstage area as the music and action progress. It moves like a river of story rather than the customary scenic drama. I found it to be a wonderful and fresh way to experience an opera in its most essential form, as if everyone in the opera house gets to sit in the front row.

Conductor Ludovic Morlot led members of the Seattle Symphony and the Seattle Opera chorus in Saint-Saëns' luscious music — which was undulating in Delilah's love scenes and wildly dramatic in the famous bacchanal sequence, when the followers of Dagon perform a frenetic, erotic dance in the temple to celebrate the downfall of Samson and the Hebrews.

The staged version of this latter moment in the opera is usually a frenzied, sexy dance by the corps de ballet, but in the concert version, attendees can watch the amazing artistry of the orchestra as the music takes a central performing role, flowing directly over the audience rather than up from the pit. There's a lot to be said for the power of sinuous, pulsating music to choreograph a crazy dance in your imagination — not to mention the energetic efficiency of the conductor as he bends from one section to the other, beating time and describing emotions with his arms.

Bridges was the star of the show (what vamp isn't?), with her beautiful voice and fabulous gowns: erotically persuasive in seduction, haughty and powerful in triumph. Lee was a tormented Samson who knows he can't resist Delilah, and suffers from anticipatory guilt. The librettist, Ferdinand Lemaire, never allows his hero to revel in his strength but only to writhe in the guilt of the weakness he feels for Delilah. It makes for a less interesting hero than a cocky powerhouse brought low, because the fall is anticipated. But Lee's passionate performance in appealing to God for Samson's redemption was entirely committed and convincing.

General Director Christina Scheppelmann, in her post-performance Q&A, gave an excellent rationale for presenting operas in concert along with a regular program of fully staged productions. It's an opportunity to showcase works the audience hasn't seen recently, if ever, and to bring rising stars to town, like Bridges and Lee.

This production of Samson and Delilah was given after only four days of rehearsals — as opposed to the three to four months a fully staged performance requires. The orchestra, chorus, and singers had been learning and practicing their parts in advance, but the time it takes to bring the program together in concert mode is so efficient that Seattle Opera has the opportunity to bring new, neglected, or rarely seen works to Seattle audiences. This production demonstrated both the wisdom and the powerful success of such a strategy.

At the conclusion of Samson and Delilah on Friday, the audience gave the orchestra and singers a standing ovation, moved by the drama of the music — which ends with the temple of Dagon collapsing — and the thrill of seeing the orchestra perform as equal members of the cast onstage. Of course we opera-lovers love the big productions that define "operatic," but a concert performance like this one — as well as the wonderful community operas Seattle Opera has brought to smaller stages in the past — is a great way to present new and neglected works to the public. Bravo, Director Scheppelmann and the Seattle Opera company!