Opera Chic

Placido Domingo in Portrait -- Julian Schnabel, 2008

From the January 2011 French Photo magazine, Placido Domingo stands among living legends Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken, and Lou Reed in a stunning 2008 polaroid by Julian Schnabel in his Simon Boccanegra gear. 

\m/ metal \m/ Placidone's portrait is 1000000000000 times sicker when listening to Queen's Flash Gordon Battle Theme (below). We can't believe it's 2011 and no one has written a Flash Gordon opera yet. C'mon.

The portrait was taken from here:

On Friday, using a giant, dolly-mounted Polaroid camera from the ’70s, Mr. Schnabel took the B-list actor Mickey Rourke’s photograph for a forthcoming Village Voice article about his new film, “The Wrestler.” And then he painted Plácido Domingo.

Fort Worth Opera to Premiere "Before Night Falls" OMG PLEASE LET IT STAR JAVIER BARDEM!!!

Fort Worth Opera's 2010 Festival will boast one of the best movie/book spin-offs we've yet heard: Reinaldo Arenas's "Before Night Falls".

The opera, written and composed by Cuban-American composer Jorge Martín, is based on the the autobiography by the late great Cuban writer Reinaldo Arenas.

This isn't the first time that Arenas's book has inspired, as it was the basis of the sumptuous full-of-win film by Opera Chic main man Julian Schnabel, staring omg Javier Bardem (luckily Benicio del Toro dropped out and we got that secksay slab of fillet, Bardem).

For help with the libretto, Martín turned to Dolores M. Koch, close friend of Arenas who also translates his books from Spanish to English.

Darren K. Woods, GM of the FWO, is a frikking genius. We're so looking forward to this, we're already dusting off our Luchese boots for Spring Break, 2010.

Opera Chic's only regret is that our own composer, maestro Carter Burwell, who did such a wonderful, heartbreaking job writing the film's score, has not been hired to take a crack at writing the opera.

Maestro Burwell's website generously allows to download some tracks from his scores. 

In the meantime, Javier Bardem best learn how to sing by Spring 2010, because we're basically not willing to settle for anyone less than the sizzling Spanish actor on that Texan stage.

Placido Domingo, Mickey Rourke And a Pennsylvania Truck Driver Go To Julian Schnabel Studio

Nevermind the haterz, Opera Chic loves Julian Schnabel (and hopes he will one day direct opera -- this will be one of OC's first commissions as Sovrintendente of la Scala one day) and she loves his hawt wife and hawt spawn and wonderful films. And the paintings aren't too shabby either (not as hawt as his wife,though).

He spent a day with Placidone, our fave senior citizen baritone (successfully posing as a tenor).

On Thursday Mr. Schnabel painted Peddrick Sheffer, a truck driver from York, Pa., who had won a Schnabel portrait as part of the MasterCard “priceless” campaign. (Or not quite priceless: the contest rules estimated the value of the painting at $350,000.) He played some Willie Nelson tunes to put Mr. Sheffer at ease and also tried to talk him into voting for Barack Obama. “I told him, ‘If you like my work, trust me on this,’ ” Mr. Schnabel said.

On Friday, using a giant, dolly-mounted Polaroid camera from the ’70s, Mr. Schnabel took the B-list actor Mickey Rourke’s photograph for a forthcoming Village Voice article about his new film, “The Wrestler.” And then he painted Plácido Domingo.

That portrait was commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera to commemorate the anniversary of that tenor’s Met debut, and is to be unveiled at a gala there on Sept. 28, 40 years to the day after Mr. Domingo, then 27, stepped in for an ailing Franco Corelli and sang the role of Maurizio in “Adriana Lecouvreur.”

Coming soon: Placidone's statue. Riding a horse.