Placidone Shocker: 'I Feared I Could Not Sing Anymore'. But He's Back And Doing 'Rigoletto', Too!

 

The unsinkable Placido Domingo, who'll debut as Boccanegra on Friday night at la Scala, gave an interview to Corriere della Sera where he drops two big bombs -- he actually feared he'd have to quit singing -- "For a few interminable moments I was anguished and feared that I could not sing anymore" -- because of the malignant polyp that was removed from his colon last month in New York; and in September he'll appear -- "I hope to make it, it depends on my energy levels and on the way the audience will judge my Boccanegra" -- as Rigoletto, in Mantua, to be filmed by RAI television and conducted by Zubin Mehta.

Not just unsinkable, Placidone's a full-blown baritone, too, now -- watch out Leo Nucci!!!

Comments

[Alexander]

I don't like malignant things, so I wish health to him. He is a good guv;)))) Maria Callas would be pleased with his singing.
By the way;))) - when he be out of the stage he could take miss Katherine to teach her not only singing but to stare at her nipples, and at this point Maria Callas would call them "Mister and Miss NippleKINS" and be displeased:)))))
Ouch!!!Ouch!!!

[El Cajon]

Let the guessing games about possible future PD baritone roles begin, but I'd like to hear him portray Luisa Miller's papa.

PD is a now tenor, a baritone, a conductor, and an impressario. With all the extra time he must have on his hands, maybe he'll become a chef?

[Eric]

I like PD a lot but I think I'd prefer to hear Nucci as Rigoletto -- the greatest Rigoletto of the past decade, IMO.

[Franco bastiano]

Stop it Domingo, it's enough, relax and understand: having been a good singer and actor, a mediocre conductor, a fake director (big staff and lots of losses) is fully sufficient. If you really want to surprise us study for soprano or marry Katherine Jenkins.

[Jeep]

delighted PD is doing so well, can't wait to hear him as Rigoletto. Here's the best-dressed person at last night's Armida prima in NYC
BETTE MIDLER - fuggedabaht the starlings in their YSLs. Bette's the real deal - and an opera lover and friend of NYC as well. Go Bette

[richard clark]

circus domingo

[Anne]

But wait, Simon has to get past the loggionisti first.

[JMK]

Kath's nipples are probably already 'old news'.

I certainly DON'T want to hear him as Rigoletto, so I won't, but the one thing I wouldn't mind is hearing him sing "Il Balen", for some reason. Even though I didn't like the Trovatore duet he did a while ago with Radvanovsky, she of course royally drowned him out several times.

Luisa Miller's papa has that crappy cabaletta that I can't stand.

[Inge]

Leo Nucci has nothing to fear.
Domingo has only one vocal tone, and one dramatic expression ( plaintive) with not an ounce of nuance or depth of understanding of the music or the drama. He brings Domingo to all his roles, Nucci is constantly exploring the music and his characters no matter how many times he's performed a role. Domingo should hang up his vocal chords while people remember some of his good tenor performances. He's a poacher and the only danger is that people will think that this is what a baritone should sound like.

[Starda Vanyra]

And this Rigoletto is to be live and on locations for cameras. Probably wiser not to risk it that way and do a more leisurely camera treatment in separate takes with pre-recorded voice track, but Domingo is obviosuly up for the challenge and the result will probably be very successful. I can't wait to see it.

[Motera]

Nucci is a barker, and Domingo, while not a baritone, certainly doesn't need to be taught "understanding of music and drama". What a cheap shot.

[Vera]

At time being want to hear him as Boccanegra first.

[Resta]

I sincerely doubt many people who hear Domingo in these roles are lulled into forgetting what a real Verdi baritone sounds like. Domingo won't retire, ever. In the meantime he will do as he pleases. But a threat to people like Leo Nucci he will never be. I imagine he himself knows this, and doesn't care. I suppose he has earned the right to do these kinds of projects if they bring him happiness. His fans are his fans and they will pay to hear him sing, whatever that might mean. He is a remarkable artist no matter what.

[shriman87]

I think at this point in his career i can safely say that PD could sing Brunnhilde and still bring the kind of nuance to it that a million other singers can't

[Alexander]

to Jeep - I like Bette Midler also;) I just recollect her "Ruthless People" and others. Hope she is well now. It is interesting to know whether she is on short terms with Renée or maybe Mr. Gelb or other opera guys?
to OC;) - Dear OC, It's great you provide us with the info on Don Placidone, but how is about Kiri? I think many people would like to reconnect with her on your blog...

[operakid]

"Nucci is a barker???""

NUCCI IS AWESOME

[Brent]

I have this wonderful vision that PD will just run so hard that he won't actually die, but he'll simply vaporize during final bows.

Just a puff of smoke to the tune of a high C and his ghostly specter will ascend like Marguerite up off the stage floor.

[Oroveso]

There are exceptions (as always) at both ends of the spectrum but I think the Nucci/Domingo thing is generational. Younger folks tend to think Domingo and Nucci hung the stars. Older folks --- not so much.

[Motera]

Let's put it this way, the people who like Domingo and go see his Boccanegra, will not be missing Nucci, regardless of actual baritonal qualities Domingo may or may not have.

I'd like to think he's awesome and it's nice he takes so much trouble with Verdi's scores,but it would help if he didn't shout 80% of the time he's singing. His studio-recorded Iago, in paricular, drove me nuts.

[Bec]

Shouting to one is singing to another.

[Les Mitchell]

I've always been one of Domingo's most ardent fans. His ability to work so many operas into his repertoire in so many different languages has always amazed me --- and most of these outings have been extremely successful. I mean......is there ANY opera he hasn't attempted? However, with that said, I think the time has come for Mr. Domingo to graciously take his leave of the opera stage and to restrict himself to concerts with orchestra. I am not especially impressed by his explorations into the baritone repertoire. I don't feel he belongs there. He still has a voice, to be sure, but I don't think he's doing the right thing. The man has virtually dominated opera since the early 1970's and must already have set some kind of vocal record of performances, repertoire, etc ---- but it's enough already.

[Resta]

As a member of the "mature" generation, I can say that I appreciate Mr. Domingo, for what he does well. And I respect the achievement of his having built a 40-year-plus career, something too few singers can even hope to aspire to nowadays. It is not a case of either/or between Leo Nucci and Placido Domingo - they are apples and oranges as far as I am concerned, at the very least for obvious reasons pertaining to instrument, etc.

It seems folks haven't caught on to Mr. Domingo's personality and temperament, however - he is a workaholic who can't imagine life without singing, as he essentially demonstrates himself in the above article. Apparently a retired lifestyle doesn't appeal to him, for whatever reason. And he has the status and power in this field to do whatever he wants, for as long as he wants. So, he will likely not retire graciously, because it is not in his DNA to do so. His outings may vary in effectiveness, but that's the way it goes. He doesn't seem to mind. Getting on in years can empower one in ways some might not be able to imagine :-).

[AJ]

Ouch, didn't expect that from Les Mitchell of all people. ;)

As someone who's preferred much of the 1990s and 2000s Domingo over his monochromatic, over-the-top, overexcitable, language-mangling self of the 70s and early 80s, I have to say that as far as I'm concerned he doesn't have to retire yet (not that saying that matters, some people here write as if he'd actually be reading these comments, ha). Some of the stuff he's done more recently, like Tamerlano and Cyrano, punched me in the gut far more than any early 70s Manon Lescauts that people keep raving about. I don't like Boccanegra much as a role, but it's a bit of an exaggeration just how unbaritonal and tenorlike he really sounds. No he's certainly not Leonard Warren, but his voice has a weight and a wisdom now that it didn't when he was younger, and there was certainly no mistaking him with Marcello Giordani, or even with his own 1995 Adorno.

[Jan]

Some early biographies state that Domingo was born on january 15th 1934. Being a phenomenon of some kind it really doesn't matter what he is up to in future. Anyway he started some years ago alreday to scratch his reputation.

[Renata]

ridiculous. But then, Keenlyside and Hampson have done Macbeth recently so nothing is serious in opera anymore