Did anyone top 3,000 nights in one opera house?

We’ve been crunching the numbers of the late Charles Anthony (birthname: Carusoto) who sang a record 2,928 times at the Metropolitan Opera House, New York, between debut in 1954 and retirement in 2010. He died yesterday, aged 82.

Everyone is saying his is a record that will never be beaten.

Perhaps in a single opera house, it won’t.

But across an international career there has to be at least one singer who has delivered 3,000 nights and more.

Take, for instance, Peaceful Sunday. He made his opera debut as a baritone in 1959, aged 17, and is still singing in that register to the present day. There was also a long, glorious interlude when he was known as a tenor.

Over 53 years as an opera singer, averaging 70 nights a year at his prime – well, do the math.

Placido Domingo may have sung close to 3,500 nights of opera, not to mention over 100 studio recordings. Phenomenal.