Any time Plácido Domingo sings the demanding role of Samson is a gala occasion, but this time was even more special: the performance opened the Met’s 1998-99 season and honored the great tenor on the 30th anniversary of his Met debut. With James Levine bringing out all the color in Saint-Saëns's exotic score, the rest of the cast rose to the occasion. Olga Borodina’s sultry Dalila is matched to Domingo’s searing portrayal of Samson. The cast is rounded out by Sergei Leiferkus, René Pape, and Richard Paul Fink. Performance date: September 28, 1998.