Domingo begs Verona: Please ask me back next year
NewsThe singer, 82, has written a letter to the Mayor of Verona and the artistic director of the Arena, apologising for his two exceptionally poor performances as baritone and conductor.
He writes: ‘I thank all the professors in the orchestra, especially those who did not stand up at the final applause of Turandot: They love their job and they love the Arena, and I think that’s what they meant with their gesture. A gesture that, I am not going to hide it, hurt me a lot, but as a musician I feel it was an act of respect towards the artistic level that the Arena represents.’
He goes on to say: ‘Next year will be the centenary of the Verona Arena festival. My only wish is to bring to life a show that is a tribute to all of you and to your extraordinary history’.
Bare-faced?
Domingo is completely insane if he thinks he can still perform at a professional level. He was NEVER a conductor and now his voice has left him. The fact that he says that “the professors who did not stand love their job and they love the Arena, and I think that’s what they meant with their gesture…” shows how disconnected from reality he is.
IT IS ALL GONE! TOTALLY! ALWAYS A 3RD RATE CONDUCTOR. NOW A 3RD RATE SINGER! PLEASE STOP!
You obviously do NOT have a taste for quality music. Placido is considered to be one of the greatest musicians (mostly singer) of our times! Check it out!
Apparently utterly incapable of even the slightest level of self-awareness, (deserved) embarrassment, or humility. GO AWAY PLACIDO!
He’s 81, actually.
He could be invited to bellow “Radames! Radames! Radames!” down the microphone.
He could also play the emperor in Turandot, a comprimario role often given to aging tenors.
He’d be no match for Hugues Cuenod.
Hell no. There are too many female dancers on stage when the emperor is onstage. That’s a thousand ass-grabbing lawsuits waiting to happen
I do not go to listen to opera companies that use microphones and loudspeakers….that is the beginning of the end for opera….but as we know…many opera houses now use them…
Tickets are already selling…
Verona bleibt Verona.
If the next season is indeed already selling (didn’t check), it isn’t selling because PD. Is his name on the bill? If the centenary season is selling in advance, it’s selling to those who don’t care about content, who care just about being at a centenary anniversary. Every season opening in any big house sells on the same principle, year after year – it is considered an ‘event’. Not everybody rushes to buy the cat in the bag, you know.
Better to leave with whatever dignity is left instead of grovelling to return. Time to call it a day.
It depends. He could play the triangle, for example.
Maybe.
Such sad theatre due to ‘capricious’ old age or despicable pride.
He did have the decency to admit he was wrong.
did he though? I think not.
It is really sad to see PD in this state but i would not buy a ticket where he sings or conducts any more. he used to be great, one of the greatest but he missed the station to get gracefully of the train and is not in a rapidly derailing train. Last good thing I have heard was his Simon Bocanegra and maybe Germont. After that… Nulla!
is NOW ON a rapidly derailing train.
To the (so far) one person downvoting this – I have seen him multiple times in the MET, and he was mostly phantastic.
But “was” is the operative word here. if you don’t realize that then I am sorry.
The Arena festival was founded in 1913. He’s senile already. And pathetic.
There were breaks during the world wars. The Arena is apparently counting the seasons, though I must say I am surprised the breaks total as much as ten seasons.
I very much doubt PD himself wrote this letter, it must be the work of his staff. PD doesn’t exert himself writing letters, he just demands. The hubris and the utter divorce from reality exuded by his last demand will be surpassed only by the Arena’s decision if they are going to give him the opportunity to wreck their centenary anniversary despite of everything that has happened this year. Apparently the Arena centenary anniversary is for the asking, lol. I know I won’t hurry to the ticket office… The Arena will have their hands full managing various degrees of failure and selling PD’s unprofessional rubbish as ‘great success’ to the crowds willing to pay. It isn’t against the law, after all, just against common sense and minimal understanding of music.
True. Senility has won over artistry, which also applies to his defenders.
What a nerve !! He wants to return after the fiasco ??
Addio senza rencor !!
ADDIO !!
When it’s a conductor at 80 plus years everybody seems to celebrate this achievement of continuing to make music. But with PD (whether he’s singing or conducting) he receives 99% abuse.
Three errors of judgement in your comment, and one whine:
1. PD never was a real conductor. Using one’s business relationships to prolong one’s stage career by whatever means, in PD’s case by conducting, doesn’t make one a serious conductor. See Nureyev. A good conductor is supposed to elevate the play of the orchestra he’s conducting, not to drag them down.
2. He doesn’t make _quality music_ anymore, in any way, shape, or form
3. The stunt of those 80 plus conductors (with which this writer disagrees) is made possible by the fact, first, that they are real conductors, second, that it is the orchestra playing (who are on average at least twenty-thirty years younger), not the conductor. In this case not even the orchestra could save the day.
Critique is ‘abuse’ only to fanatics. Here we have an entire orchestra of musicians saying he was rubbish, but the fan(atic) always knows better, this goes without saying…
This is ever so sad for everybody. Placido Domingo was a very high quality tenor, although I remember Julian budden saying that he did not differentiate his roles. He has no reputation as a baritone. He is simply not a conductor of the first rank. His every appearance diminishes his justified and stellar reputation as performer over a long period of time. We should all urge him to stop immediately; there is literally no future in it.
Placido had his day it’s all over and has been for years his baritone is worse than his last years as a terrible teller I can’t imagine that an 82 years old he still thinks he can perform as he did when he was 35 this is pure ego. The faster he’s gone the more we can forget what he became and maybe remember what he was there’s a pity as Shakespeare said performers never know when to finally exit stage left for the last time this was written by Stefano d a dramatic center Chevrolet Opera houses over the years throughout the US and one who sang otello with the true dramatic tenor, I’m 74 now and can sing a few hours and a few notes from the Opera but wouldn’t dare to attempt to sing the role we should all listen to Clint Easstefanotwood and no our limitations!!
JJ above seems to want to be the standard bearer of everything that is right and proper in the musical world. 1. He tells slippedisc that PD isn’t a ‘real or ‘serious conductor’. What are his qualifications to make such a claim? His is just another inarticulated opinion of the many thousands online. Another frustrated musician who doesn’t like PD status as a superstar. 2. ‘He doesn’t make quality music anymore’. If he’s actually heard PD as a baritone why doesn’t he give a proper review? 3. ‘It’s the orchestra who does the playing’. By this reckoning the conductor doesn’t contribute anything to musical performance. And finally, he tells us that only ‘fanatics’ see criticism as ‘abuse’. JJ seems to me to be the biggest fanatic of all.