Has baritone repertoire always been suited for Plácido Domingo? In 1959 he certainly thought he was a baritone when he auditioned for the National Opera in Mexico City, only to be proven wrong by having one the longest opera careers in history, as a tenor. If his wild and trend setting tenor voice has waned over the past decade or so, his baritone voice has simultaneously ripened. Yes, it is probably a sign of age, but who cares? - especially for a man who made his Met debut in 1968 and who probably has the most impressive opera career in memorable history, (not to mention his managing two opera companies, simultaneously). There is a certain quality he has that is lacking among new talent today. His total mind and body commitment on stage was so different than Pavarotti’s ‘park and belt’ habit, (they were the two star tenors for decades). A prime example of longevity, his tone, diction, and deliverance were as beautiful tonight as they are in that famous Zeffirelli Traviata film of 1982, (the first opera LP my grandmother gave me). As far as I’m concerned we should be blessed to still be hearing him, no matter what range he sings in.
Simon Boccanegra took two trials to develop into a solid Verdi opera. It first premiered at La Fenice, Venice in 1857, after being commissioned by the theatre following the popular success of Il trovatore. Collaboration between the librettist, Maria Piave, and Verdi was difficult due to Verdi’s long absences in Paris. The opera turned out to have one of the worst librettos ever written, with too gloomy a plot and uninspired music.
Fast-forward to 1880, the librettist Arrigo Boito was in the middle of writing Otello, but Verdi had yet to commit himself to writing the music. His publisher, Guilio Ricordi had the idea of putting composer and librettist together for a trial run in a slightly less momentous opera like Simon Boccanegra. Along with minute changes throughout, Boito’s major revision was in creating a new second scene for Act I. Verdi’s admiration for the way he did that not only inspired him to “revise everything in sequence, just as if it were a matter of a new opera”, but gave him the reassurance he needed to collaborate on Otello.
Maestro James Levine led an energetically nuanced reading of the score. Long ago having championed the Verdi style, (he conducted the 1982 Zeffirelli Traviata), one could sense his comfort in the music tonight. He knew when to hold back and when to lash out with waves of expressive sound, all done very organically. The rest of the cast sang wonderfully, but I’m afraid they were overshadowed by the veteran’s triumph. The house erupted when Mr. Domingo came out for the curtain call, cheering even louder when joined by Maestro Levine. Mr. Domingo is 69 and Mr. Levine 67. Their careers have lined up countless times over the decades, and judging from the invigoration with which I left after this performance, neither is done yet.
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