Until today Plácido Domingo has sung over 119 different roles, more than any other tenor counted in the musical annals, with at least four new roles planned for the next three seasons. His repertoire ranges in all sectors, from Mozart to Ginastera, through Verdi, Berlioz, Puccini and Wagner.
He sings in all the most important opera houses in the world and has recorded over 100 albums, 97 of which are complete works where he has interpreted the same role even more than once, receiving nine Grammies.
Ha has shooted over 50 videos and three theatre-movies: LA TRAVIATA and OTELLO directed by Zeffirelli and CARMEN by Rosi.
He took part in the television broadcasting of TOSCA, staged in the same original places in Rome where the opera is settled, which was seen by more than a billion people in 117 countries worldwide.
By opening the season at the Metropolitan with PAGLIACCI he sang his 18th operatic season opening, and the New York Times has reported this overcoming of the 17 openings record held by Caruso on the front page. As a conductor he has led stagings at the most important theatres, from the Metropolitan to London’s Covent Garden and from the Wiener Staatsoper to the Los Angeles Music Center Opera. He has also conducted orchestras for symphonic concerts and has made recordings where he performed the duty of conductor.
As the artistic manager of the World Exhibition in Seville he invited there all the main orchestras and opera companies on a worldly scale, among which the Metropolitan Opera. Since the 1996/97 season he has been the artistic manager of the Washington Opera and since the 2000/01 season he has been holding the same office at the Los Angeles Opera, being one of its founders and for many years its Musical Counsellor and Main Guest Conductor.
Born in Madrid out of parents who acted in the Spanish genre of the ‘zarzuela’, Placido Domingo moved to Mexico when he was 8 years old. After studying vocal technique, piano and conducting at the Conservatoire of Mexico City, he made his operatic début in Monterrey with the role of Alfredo in LA TRAVIATA. In 1966 he played the leading role during the US-premiere of Ginastera’s DON RODRIGO staged at the New York City Opera, altough in that country he also appeared in the classical repertoire.
His Met-début happened in 1968, when he played the role of Maurizio in ADRIANA LECOUVREUR. In that theatre he has successively sang over 400 performances with more than 41 different roles; he has now reached the 35th season in a row with that opera company (2003-2004).
Placido Domingo’s recordings, whether complete works, songs or duets albums or material on other genres, always appear among the best selling ones, and a short while ago seven CDs of his were at the same time in Billboard’s classical and mixed music charts. Many of his recordings have become gold records, having sold more than one million copies.
His repertoire comprises almost all of the major roles of Italian and Franch operas. Always ready to put himself to the test with new roles, he has made frequent raids in the German repertoire with PARSIFAL, LOHENGRIN and LA WALKIRIA by Wagner, besides the recordings of MAESTRI CANTORI DI NORIMBERGA, TANNHÄUSER and L’OLANDESE VOLANTE also by Wagner, LA DONNA SENZ’OMBRA by Richard Strauss, OBERON by Weber and FIDELIO by Beethoven. During the past years he has added his first Russian role to his repertoire, that is German in Tchaikovsky’s PIKOVAYA DAMA (Pique Dame).
Being a complete musician, he is also interested in enlarging his repertoire through modern compositions, such as Menotti’s GOYA and Anton Garcia Abril’s DIVINAS PALABRAS. This opera, which was staged on a world premiere in October of 1997, was brought on stage for the reopening of the Teatro Real of Madrid.
Plácido Domingo has gathered donations for many million dollars through special charity concerts dedicated to such good causes as helping the victims of the earthquake in Mexico in 1985 and of the one in Armenia, or Aids. He is one of the artists still in activity who has received more decorations and acknowledgements, for example the “Medaille for Freedom” in the US, the “Great Cross for the Merit of Civil Order” in Spain, “ Member of the Legion of Honour” in France. The most frequent praise used to define him is “King of Opera” written on a Newsweek front page.