2024-07-21 23:03:08
As soon as the 33rd edition of the International Music Festival in Český Krumlov began, its visitors experienced one of the greatest living figures of world opera. The 83-year-old singer Plácido Domingo not only dominated the stage this Saturday with his charisma, but despite his advanced age, he was also still in good vocal shape. Thanks to both guest artists, the concert was worth it.
Despite the incessant rain, the evening called the Opera Gala took place under the open sky in the city park. It was almost completely filled by spectators in raincoats, equipped with blankets that they received at the entrance. Due to the great interest, the organizers released additional tickets for sale at the last minute, despite the unfavorable weather forecast, which actually came true. Nevertheless, people did not miss the event – both with regard to the relatively high price of tickets, and with the knowledge that this year’s Doming concert may be the last chance to see the singer in the Czech Republic.
The evening was accompanied by the symbolism of the number three: the performance at the 33rd edition was Plácid Domingo’s third visit to the Krumlov festival, for which he does not spare praise and says that he likes to come here. The repertoire was built up by dramaturgy based on three genres, in addition to opera, the program included operetta and Spanish zarzuelas. Three artists then presented themselves on stage: in addition to Domingo, they were the Spanish soprano Serena Sáenz and the Czech mezzo-soprano Ester Pavlů.
It was the variety in the choice of performers that represented the basic pillar of the concert. Next to the famous tenor, who now sings more baritone roles, Serena Sáenz was truly magical, and with the lightness and bright timbre of her voice, she formed a counterpoint to both Domingo’s more dramatic arias and the excellent Czech mezzo-soprano Ester Pavlů. Her darker, fuller voice, thanks to the different repertoire and character, complemented the pair excellently in contrast, so that the Czech woman did not give the impression of the Spanish singing girl. While Serena Sáenz radiated playfulness and a certain fragility with her face and speech, Ester Pavlů demonstrated self-confidence and insight.
The singing star of the evening was rather precisely Ester Pavlů with a perfectly built technique, great range, smooth transitions and great expression, but the audience deservedly included the famous singer with the biggest ovations. Of course, no one expected that at the age of 83, Plácido Domingo would sing as well as he did at the height of his fame in the 1980s. In recent years, critics have been asking him whether it would be wiser to leave, stop performing and enjoy a well-deserved singing rest.
However, Domingo showed in Krumlov that he still has a lot to offer as a singer. Although he overshot the start and in the first aria Nemico della patria from the opera Andrea Chénier his voice broke due to excessive pressure, he was careful not to damage the vocal cords in the following compositions. He skilfully used the microphone and the comfort that singing on it provides. He sang the recitative passages more closely and, on the contrary, let the imperfections disappear by retreating.
Charismatic speech has always been Plácido Domingo’s strong point. | Photo: Libor Sváček
Although a vibrato bordering on tremolo could be heard in the higher positions, this is nothing unusual or unexpected considering the age. In short, the vocal cord muscles loosen with age, and the older a person is, the more effort is required to control them precisely. Although originally a stellar tenor, his vocal development gradually reached more of a baritone repertoire, which is also not unusual, in his singing it was still possible to hear the echoes of his stellar years. After all, the audience came because of them.
Domingo took advantage of his conscious shortcomings for elaborate expression and, despite his fragile constitution, acted energetically and with élan. During the applause, he raised his right hand to the audience like the king he once really was in the opera world, aware of his worth. Charismatic speech has always been one of his strengths.
Although not everything sounded perfect, with a few exceptions he was not out of tune and sang the appropriately chosen repertoire with dignity, truly admirably considering his age. His fluctuating voice and the shortening of some notes can easily be forgiven, on the contrary, he deserves appreciation for the way he works with expression so far and how well he can support and hold certain pitches with his body. In addition, the color of his voice very pleasantly complemented the duets and tercets with both singers.
The program consisted of a cross-section of operas in which he played key roles. In addition to Andrea Chénier, Domingo performed the Perfidi arias! Pietà, rispetto, amore from Verdi’s Macbeth, which was one of his key roles in the baritone field and which many consider unsurpassed precisely in his interpretation.
Puccini’s work, for which Domingo is also famous, was represented by Serena Sáenz, who opened her performance with Musetta’s flirtatious aria Quando m’en vo from Bohéma. The winner of Domingo’s Operalia competition, but also of the competition named after the singer Montserrat Caballé, also passionately sang the aria O mio babbino caro with exemplary pianissimas, similar to those of Caballé. She showed that although she does not have as strong a voice as Ester Pavlů or Domingo, her center of gravity lies precisely in neat glissandos and work with dynamics in more lyrical roles.
Plácido Domingo visited the Krumlov festival for the third time. On the right is the conductor Tomáš Brauner. | Photo: Libor Sváček
The so-called Flower duet from the opera Lakmé by Léo Delibes sounded sweet. Although Serena Sáenz seemed slightly out of tune in some places, her and Ester Pavlů’s voices sounded beautifully in unison and the overall impression sounded really charming. The Czech singer performed a seductive, vocally mature and charming Carmen, which is now her title role at the National Theater and is receiving praise for it.
The Prague Philharmonic Orchestra, under the leadership of conductor Tomáš Brauner, played in a balanced manner and managed to sound relatively well and sensitively – compared to the Janáček Philharmonic, which was rather damaged by the microphones at Friday’s opening concert. The players of the body, until recently known by the abbreviation PKF, tried all the time to give their best performance despite the adverse conditions, which did not bode well for the instruments, which had to be retuned more often due to the humidity. In the end, however, the conductor made the decision to cut the program short when it started raining on the front row of strings and the musicians had to let the instruments “rest” to avoid damage. Therefore, several pieces from the second half of the program were not played.
The Spanish line of the program suffered the most from the shortening, but at least Manuel Penella’s zarzuela in a duet with Serena Sáenz and Jacinto Guerrero’s solo zarzuela Mi Aldea were performed by a Spanish baritone, which testified to the singer’s voice. In the second one, he also managed the final height nicely.
At the end, all three stars of the evening sang together while holding hands. Domingo was visibly enjoying the ladies’ company. In the waltz from the operetta The Merry Widow by Franz Lehár, Lippen schweigen even danced with the singers on stage in the interlude.
A funny moment came during one of Domingo’s Granada encores, where the brass fell out of rhythm during the interlude and started playing significantly slower than the rest of the instrumentalists. The singer, who originally studied conducting and conducted many world orchestras, immediately rushed to Tomáš Brauner’s aid and with a smile began to lead the orchestra together with him, which he continued until the players were united again. He then gestured to the musicians with a raised arm and continued to sing his part. Although the listeners noticed the scattered rhythm, the resulting impression remained entirely positive thanks to Domingo’s sympathetic intervention – whether the scene was staged or not.
Plácido Domingo has been one of the most popular tenors since the 1970s. His repertoire includes 151 roles, he performed on all major opera stages in the world. His work in the group Three Tenors together with Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras also brought him success. In addition to singing, he also conducts, in this role he has staged more than 500 operas and symphony concerts.
He was longtime director of the Los Angeles Opera, but resigned from the post in 2019 after several female singers and dancers accused him of sexual harassment, backed by dozens of other testimonies. While the American opera houses broke off their cooperation with the singer after the #MeToo affair, in Europe the cause did not have much of a response, and European theaters, on the contrary, competed with each other in expressions of solidarity. Domingo commented that he must have misjudged the situation because he believed that his behavior was always welcomed and accepted with approval.
Concert
Serena Sáenz – soprano
Ester Pavlů – mezzo-soprano
Placido Domingo – baryton
Prague Philharmonia
Tomáš Brauner – conductor
Český Krumlov International Music Festival, July 13.