Plácido Domingo returns home: moving comeback to the Teatro Real with Sonya Yoncheva.

Madrid, July 17, 2022.

In June 2019, Plácido Domingo gave a concert at the Catedral de la Almudena in Madrid, and after the end of the recital, a walkabout waited for him, the most beloved opera singer worldwide, an opera star who was let to do whatever he wanted: to continue his career singing baritone roles, to much acclaim, or even conducting at Bayreuth Festival. A true living legend. However, something happened in August 2019: a group of women in the United States (where he established his worldwide legend status) accused him of sexual harassment and abuse of power. Inmediately, not only the scandal began but also the MeToo movement (which  took to the court with solid proofs, and deservedly, to several show business moguls accused of atrocious sexual charges) fell upon him with all its fury, as well as the cancellation culture. At the beginning, Domingo apologised for any disturbance, stating that the parameters in which we today analyse relationships weren't the same than in the past, and later he denied firmly any accusation.

Even when American opera houses ran investigations, Domingo wasn't charged and there were neither formal accusations nor a trial. But his U.S. career met with an abrupt end, as every American theatre canceled their collaborations and scheduled performances with him. However, not everyone neglected him: his opera colleagues defended him publicily, among them several female singers, as well as his legions of fans worldwide, the "dominguistas".

His 50-year Met career ended shortly before the premiere of a new Macbeth production. In his native Spain, the Ministry of Culture cancelled a performance at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, and Domingo himself retired from the Traviata production set for May/July 2020 at the Teatro Real. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic spread all over the world, and Domingo himself got the virus. 

After the big lockdown, he resumed his career at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, and then came Vienna, Verona, Paris (not the ONP, though, but the Salle Gaveau), Munich, and future New stages to come like Paraguay and Bolivia. In June 2021, he returned to Spain, but at the Auditorio Nacional in Madrid, where he was received with a long and loud ovation. Such success raised outrage in the Spanish Ministry of Equality, whose minister protested about it in Twitter, as well as other female political figures, the same ones who lobbied to cancel the accompaigning orchestra in Mérida, Extremadura.

But he, and we his fandom, lacked the Teatro Real, the opera house in his birthplace Madrid, where he reigned until 2019, being its leading star for 22 years, since its re-opening in 1997. Today, he has returned. Nevertheless, he hasn't done in the official schedule, but in the Universal Music Festival, held by the Teatro Real every summer,  for pop stars such as Elton John, Joan Baez, or the pianist James Rhodes. Indeed, Anna Netrebko's next recital on July 25 will be featured in this festival, after being postponed last September.

He returns alongside the famous soprano Sonya Yoncheva, and the Teatro Real Orchestra, conducted by Jordi Bernàcer.

Part One

Sinfonía - La forza del destino, Giuseppe Verdi - Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real

Nemico della patria - Andrea Chénier, Umberto Giordano - Plácido Domingo

Pace! Pace, mio Dio! - La forza del destino, Giuseppe Verdi - Sonya Yoncheva

Perfidi… Pietà, rispetto, amore…Macbeth, Giuseppe Verdi - Plácido Domingo

Sinfonía - Luisa Miller, Giuseppe Verdi - Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real

Madamigella Valery? - La traviata, Giuseppe Verdi - Plácido Domingo and Sonya Yoncheva

Part Two

Pleurez pleurez, mes yeux - Le Cid, Jules Massenet - Sonya Yoncheva

O vin, dissipe la tristesse - Hamlet, Ambroise Thomas - Plácido Domingo 

Méditation - Thaïs, Jules Massenet - Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real

Ciel! Mio padre! - Aida, Giuseppe Verdi - Plácido Domingo and Sonya Yoncheva

Encores:

Petenera, from "La Marchenera", Federico Moreno Torroba - Sonya Yoncheva

Amor, vida de mi vida, from "Maravilla", Federico Moreno Torroba - Plácido Domingo

Torero quiero ser from "El Gato Montés", Manuel Penella - Plácido Domingo and Sonya Yoncheva

Aged 81, Plácido Domingo is still very active on stage.  However, the voice is not the same, because of age, the Covid and for sure the scandal. One of the keys of keeping himself for a long time and to a great success, has been the fact that Domingo has kept, administrated his voice with much intelligence, adequating it to what he could sing at every moment. That is why he could have preserved such beautiful, powerful and vigorous voice. In addition, his undeniable charisma and amazing presence on stage, his sense of drama, have always helped in this success. When appearing on stage, he was received with a 2-minute ovation, which could have lasted longer if he hadn't made a gesture to begin the concert.

Now with an unstable legato, Domingo uses his still remaining beautiful notes and tone to ensure his usual level. For example, in the amazing first line, "Nemico della patria" he still sounds as the old Domingo, the tenor who has delighted us for decades, but in other cases volume is not enough. I was surprised that the "Pietà, rispetto" has been transposed to adequate into his current vocal state, but he could still show some power in the final line "la nenia tua sarà". In the Aida duet he wasn't as enough as Yoncheva, despite an amazing singing in "dei faraoni tu sei la schiava". In the encores, which were zarzuela and Spanish opera, he won over the audience with a devotion, a command of the style which helped any vocal limitation. When singing, Amor, vida de mi vida, the audience was enraptured, as well as amused, delighted in the duet from El Gato Montés. 

Yoncheva had a personal success too. Her beautifully dark-toned voice, high notes and pianissimos, as well as her big volume, dazzled the audience too, despite some nasal vibrato in the Pace, Pace mio dio. In the Aida and Traviata duets, she did shine with her singing, specially the pianisssimo in "Dite alla giovine". In the aria from Le Cid, she gave a remarkable performance. The first encore, was the romanza "Petenera" from Maravilla, a zarzuela by Moreno Torroba, which she already sang marvellously last year at the Teatro de la Zarzuela, showing how she commands this genre.

The Teatro Real Orchestra conducted by Jordi Bernàcer fulfilled its commitment to accompaign the singers, but it was noticeable that the maestro Bernacer chose slow tempi, which favorised the violin in the Thais Meditation and the Overture from La Forza.

At the end, the audience gave a strong ovation to Domingo, despite the tickets weren't sold out, maybe because of the prices and the absence of cultural authorities. Domingo was moved and the applause was long. He has returned after three years which must have seemed him like eternities, because of Covid and the scandal. Two things are clear: Domingo needs the stage to live. The other one is that his name is part of the operatic history in the second half of 20th Century, and the operatic mainstream cannot be understood without his presence, despite some important venues efforts to forget it.  Whatever the difficulties he could confront, whatever hus conduct or misconduct could be, whenever we listen to a modern, digital Don José, Otello, Radamès or zarzuela, Domingo is always there, and will always be, that is the legacy of an artist.  

My reviews are not professional and express only my opinions. As a non English native speaker I apologise for any mistake.

Most of the photographs are from the internet and belong to its authors. My use of them is only cultural. If someone is uncomfortable with their use, just notify it to me.

Any reproduction of my text requires my permission.