Round anniversary

Half a century of Plácido Domingo in Salzburg

Plácido Domingo has been performing in Salzburg for 50 years, this time as part of a gala in the Grosses Festspielhaus.

(Bild: Fiorenzo Niccoli)

Plácido Domingo made his first appearance in Salzburg half a century ago. He is back on stage at the Whitsun Festival: this time as part of a gala with numerous up-and-coming talents.

The Salzburg Whitsun Festival ends on Monday with a small outlier. The festival celebrates Mozart this year - and Plácido Domingo at the end. The Spanish star tenor has been performing in the city on the Salzach for no less than 50 years, first appearing in 1975 under Herbert von Karajan as Don Carlos. Since then, he has been involved in a total of 17 opera productions and ten concert evenings at the Festival.

Mozart has never played a role for him
However, Domingo has never sung Mozart in all this time. But this will not change with the gala on Monday evening, which the Whitsun Festival is holding in his honor. But why should it? Mozart has never played a central role in Domingo's career. Instead, the program will feature what made the former member of the legendary "3 Tenors" famous throughout the world: Verdi and the rest of the guard of great Italians. They made him the "marathon man of the tenors", as one of Domingo's many superlative nicknames goes.

But the fact that no one else has sung as many tenor roles as him was not enough for the Spaniard with the bumblebees up his backside. In 2009, he wanted to prove it to himself and the world once again with a change of fach and returned to his beginnings as a baritone. It is not unusual for tenors to start in this position. But it is unusual for them to return to the tenor after a change. But the man with the noble legato culture also succeeded in this transformation.

An honorary concert with his protégés
Now 83 years old, he is still active and can therefore also be heard on stage in his own honorary concert, alongside his protégés, so to speak. Since 1993, Domingo has been championing the promising voices of tomorrow with the "Operalia" competition he founded, which includes big names such as Sonya Yoncheva, Aida Garifullina and Rolando Villazón, who will join other former winners of the competition for the sold-out evening in the Grosses Festspielhaus.