Intermezzo

How do you wrap that?

Plácido Domingo with his 72nd (/76th?) birthday present, a gift from his son. 

In a plausibly uncoincidental tie in with his latest album release, the canny baritenor has named his equine hair-twin Wojtyla.

Domingo does Spanish double

One adjective you can never apply to Plácido Domingo is lazy.

In 2015 he's taking on a double bill at the Teatro Real in Madrid, conducting one opera and singing another. On the same night. Plácido Domingo is 73 (give or take), let's not forget.

Luckily for Domingo Goyescas, the only opera by Enrique Granados, is unfamiliar enough for the baritenor's conducting skills to escape comparison with the likes of Carlos Kleiber. 

The baton-wagging had better not overtax him, because after the interval he's back for Gianni Schicchi (a revival of the 2008 Woody Allen production for LA Opera). Domingo has essayed the odd tune here and there, but I believe this is the first time he'll sing the baritone title role in full on stage. His last ever role debut? Who can say.

Who you callin' a hoodie?

I due Foscari opened last night at the Theater an der Wien with the eternal Placido Domingo once again on Doge duty. Thaddeus Strassberger's staging should please traditionalists when it travels to Covent Garden this autumn.

Lavishly praised on its 2012 Los Angeles debut, the production seems to have garnered less enthusiasm in Vienna. "The staging emphasises the 'show' element" said one; "This tableau is not exactly vivant," said another.

More pictures below.

Il trovatore from Berlin

Well, 2 minutes and 36 seconds of it anyway.

Domingomania

Placido Domingo and Anna Netrebko have been busily bigging each other up in advance of tonight's Trovatore.

She's as good as Callas, he rashly proclaims.

She in her turn recalls seeing him in Otello at the Mariinsky in the '80s. "After the show, I'll never forget hundreds of people storming the stage! Past all the guards! And Placido stood there, barefoot, in a nightshirt - the closing scene of Otello takes place in Desdemona's bedroom - and calmly signed autographs. It was horrendously cold, it went on forever, but he had a look and a word for everyone. Phenomenal."

Berlin baby burners

This is what it looks like backstage in Berlin, where Anna Netrebko and Placido Domingo are rehearsing Il trovatore. Role debuts for the pair of them.

Philipp Stölzl's (long sold out) new production opens on 29 November - more photos below.