Celebrate the extraordinary career of Plácido Domingo with this meticulously curated collection, "50 Best Plácido Domingo." Released in 2010, this three-disc set spans over three hours and forty minutes, showcasing the tenor's remarkable range and versatility across a stunning array of opera and classical pieces. From Verdi's iconic arias to Puccini's timeless masterpieces, this album is a testament to Domingo's enduring artistry and his profound impact on the world of opera.
The album opens with a breathtaking performance of Verdi's "Aïda," setting the stage for a journey through some of the most beloved operas in history. Domingo's powerful and nuanced vocals shine in works like "Celeste Aida," "La forza del destino," and "Otello," demonstrating his mastery of Verdi's dramatic and lyrical demands. The collection also features exquisite renditions of Puccini's "La bohème," "Tosca," and "Manon Lescaut," highlighting Domingo's ability to convey deep emotion and sensitivity.
Beyond the Italian masters, the album delves into the rich repertoire of French, German, and Russian opera. From Gounod's "Faust" to Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin," and from Mozart's "Don Giovanni" to Massenet's "Le Cid," Domingo's performances are marked by their technical brilliance and expressive depth. Each track is a testament to his unparalleled talent and his ability to bring characters to life with authenticity and passion.
This album is not just a compilation of songs but a comprehensive overview of Plácido Domingo's illustrious career. It includes some of his most celebrated performances, recorded over decades, providing a unique opportunity to experience the evolution of his artistry. Whether you are a longtime fan or a newcomer to the world of opera, this collection offers a rich and rewarding listening experience. With its diverse selection of arias and duets, "50 Best Plácido Domingo" is a treasure trove of musical excellence, showcasing the enduring legacy of one of the greatest tenors of our time.
Verdi: Aïda, Act I Scene I: Romanza, Se quel guerrier io fossil - Celeste Aida (Radames)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Riccardo Muti, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Aida: O terra addio - 2001 Remastered VersionGiuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Muti, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, Fiorenza Cossotto, Nicolai Ghiaurov, Luigi Roni
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera, Act I Tableau 2 No. 11: Su, profetessa - Di' tu se fedele (Horn, Ribbing, Oscar, Gustavo, Chorus)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Reri Grist, Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, New Philharmonia Orchestra, Riccardo Muti, Gwynne Howell, Richard van Allan
Verdi: Un ballo in maschera, Act 3 Tableau 2: No. 14, Scena e Romanza, "Forse la soglia attinse … Ma se m'è forza perderti" (Gustavo)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Riccardo Muti, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Verdi: La forza del destino, Act 3 Scene 1: "O tu che seno agli angeli" (Alvaro)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano, Riccardo Muti
Verdi: La forza del destino, Act 3: "Solenne in quest'ora" (Don Alvaro, Don Carlo di Vargas)Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Muti, Giorgio Zancanaro, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
Verdi: Don Carlo (1886 Modena Five-Act Version), Act 1: No. 1, Introduzione, "Su, cacciator!" (Chorus) - No. 2, Scena e Romanza, "Fontainebleau! Foresta immensa … Io la vidi" (Don Carlo)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Maria-Rosa del Campo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Carlo Maria Giulini, Orch.Of Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Verdi: Don Carlo, Act 2: "Dio, che nell'alma infondere amor" (Don Carlo, Rodrigo, Coro, Il Frate)Giuseppe Verdi, Carlo Maria Giulini, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, Simon Estes, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Verdi: Macbeth, Act 4: Scena. "O figli, o figli miei!" - Aria. "Ah, la paterna mano" (MacDuff)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker
Verdi: Ernani, Act 1: Recitativo. "Mercè, diletti amici" - Cavatina. "Come rugiada al cespite" (Ernani, Coro)Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Muti, Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
Verdi: Ernani, Act 1: "Dell' esilio, nel dolore" (Ernani, Coro)Giuseppe Verdi, Riccardo Muti, Coro Del Teatro Alla Scala Di Milano, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra Del Teatro Alla Scala, Milano
Verdi: Otello, Act 1 Scene 3: "Già nella notte densa … Mio superbo guerrier! … Venga la morte!" (Otello, Desdemona)Giuseppe Verdi, Cheryl Studer, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker
Verdi: Otello, Act 4 Scene 4: Finale, "Niun mi tema … Pria d'ucciderti" (Otello)Giuseppe Verdi, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker
La Traviata: Libiamo, ne' lieti calci (Brindisi)Giuseppe Verdi, Cheryl Studer, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker, Orch.Of Royal Opera House Covent Garden
Puccini: La bohème, Act 4: "In un coupé" - "O Mimì tu più non torni" (Rodolfo, Marcello)Giacomo Puccini, John Barker, Plácido Domingo, Thomas Allen, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Puccini: La fanciulla del West, Act 3: "Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano" (Johnson)Giacomo Puccini, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker
Puccini: Manon Lescaut, Act 1: "Tra voi, belle, brune e bionde" (Des Grieux, Coro)Giacomo Puccini, Bruno Bartoletti, Ambrosian Opera Chorus, Plácido Domingo, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Manon Lescaut, Act 1: "Cortese damigella, il priego mio accettate" (Des Grieux, Manon, Lescaut)Giacomo Puccini, Bruno Bartoletti, Montserrat Caballé, Plácido Domingo, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Manon Lescaut, Act 1: "Donna non vidi mai simile a questa!" (Des Grieux)Giacomo Puccini, Bruno Bartoletti, Plácido Domingo, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Manon Lescaut, Act 2: "Oh, sarò la più bella!" (Manon, Des Grieux)Giacomo Puccini, Bruno Bartoletti, Plácido Domingo, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Manon Lescaut, Act 2: "Ah! Manon, mi tradisce il tuo folle pensier" (Des Grieux, Manon)Giacomo Puccini, Bruno Bartoletti, Plácido Domingo, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Manon Lescaut, Act 3: "Ah! Non v'avvicinate!" (Des Grieux, Il Commandante)Giacomo Puccini, Bruno Bartoletti, Plácido Domingo, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Manon Lescaut: Manon, sentiGiacomo Puccini, Montserrat Caballé, Bruno Bartoletti, New Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Tosca, Act 1: "Dammi i colori... Recondita armonia" (Cavaradossi, Sagrestano)Giacomo Puccini, James Levine, Plácido Domingo, Renato Capecchi, Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Tosca, Act 1: "Ah, quegli occhi" - "Quale occhio al mondo può star di paro" (Tosca, Cavaradossi)Giacomo Puccini, James Levine, Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Philharmonia Orchestra
Tosca: Floria! Amore...Vittoria!Giacomo Puccini, Renata Scotto, James Levine, Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Tosca, Act 3: "E lucevan le stelle" (Cavaradossi)Giacomo Puccini, James Levine, Plácido Domingo, Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Tosca, Act 3: "Ah! Franchigia a Floria Tosca" (Cavaradossi, Tosca)Giacomo Puccini, James Levine, Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Philharmonia Orchestra
Puccini: Tosca, Act 3: "O dolci mani mansuete e pure" (Cavaradossi, Tosca)Giacomo Puccini, James Levine, Plácido Domingo, Renata Scotto, Philharmonia Orchestra
Boito: Mefistofele, Act 1: "Dai campi, dai prati" (Faust, Mefistofele)Arrigo Boito, Julius Rudel, Norman Treigle, Plácido Domingo, London Symphony Orchestra
Mascagni: Nerone, Act 3 Scene 1: "Vergini Muse … Quando al soave anelito" (Nerone)Pietro Mascagni, Plácido Domingo, Eugene Kohn, National Philharmonic Orchestra
L'amico Fritz: Suzel, buon dì (Cherry Duet)Pietro Mascagni, Plácido Domingo, Asher Fisch, Orch.Of Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
L'amico Fritz: Tutto tacePietro Mascagni, Plácido Domingo, Asher Fisch, Orch.Of Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
Gounod: Faust, Act 3: "Quel trouble inconnu me pénètre !" - Cavatine. "Salut ! Demeure chaste et pure" (Faust)Charles Gounod, Georges Prêtre, Plácido Domingo, Orchestre du Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris
Meyerbeer: L'Africaine, Act 4 Scene 2: No. 15, Récit et Grand Air, "Pays merveilleux! … Ô paradis sorti de l’onde" (Vasco)Giacomo Meyerbeer, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, John Barker
Massenet: Le Cid, Act 3: "Ah ! Tout est bien fini" - "Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père" (Rodrigue)Jules Massenet, Plácido Domingo, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Asher Fisch
Bizet: Les Pêcheurs de Perles: C'est toi ... Au fond du temple saintGeorges Bizet, Thomas Hampson, Eugene Kohn, Philharmonia Orchestra
Saint-Saëns: Samson et Dalila, Op. 47, Act 1: "Arrêtez, ô mes frères !" (Samson, Les Hébreux)Camille Saint-Saëns, Myung-Whun Chung, Choeur de l'Opéra Bastille, Plácido Domingo, Orchestre de l'Opéra Bastille
Don Giovanni K527, ATTO PRIMO, Scena terza: Recitativo & AriaWolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Plácido Domingo, Eugene Kohn, Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, Munich Radio Orchestra
Don GiovanniWolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Plácido Domingo, Eugene Kohn, Muenchner Rundfunkorchester, Munich Radio Orchestra
Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K. 620, Act 1 Scene 4: No. 3, Arie, "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" (Tamino)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Plácido Domingo, Munich Radio Orchestra, Eugene Kohn
Mozart: Così fan tutte, K. 588, Act 1 Scene 12: No. 17, Aria, "Un'aura amorosa del nostro tesoro" (Ferrando)Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Plácido Domingo, Munich Radio Orchestra, Eugene Kohn
Sieczyński: Wien, du Stadt meiner Träume, Op. 1Rudolf Sieczynski, Plácido Domingo, Julius Rudel, English Chamber Orchestra
Das Land des Lächelns: Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!Franz Lehár, Plácido Domingo, Julius Rudel, English Chamber Orchestra