Placido Domingo

Placido Domingo - Edgardo, Lucia di Lammermoor

The grand old man and a major guiding force of opera today turns 72.  In a career spanning over 50 years and a repertoire encompassing over 140 roles, Placido Domingo has been a strong influence of opera into the new millennium and beyond.

I've admired Domingo for many years, in many roles.  The one that I will forever identify as being his signature role however, would have to be Verdi's Otello.  I saw the Zeffirelli movie at the cinema in it's first release and was profoundly moved by his interpretation of the Moor of Venice.

Here are the final moments of a Met. performance from 1996, in the beautiful Elijah Moshinsky production.  His voice is remarkable in it's timbre, no to mention those gloriously burnished top notes.  It's a fitting tribute to a brilliant career, happy birthday Placido Domingo.