Placido Domingo plays the title role of Nabucco at Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts. Provided to China Daily
Placido Domingo has graced the Chinese stage a few times before. But May 22 marked his debut in a fully costumed production in the Middle Kingdom. (He has previously appeared in a concert version of Verdi's Rigoletto.) People held high expectations, but still Domingo surpassed them - with flying colors.
The title role of Nabucco, Verdi's third opera, fits the versatile star perfectly. It lies comfortably within his vocal range, which has glided lower with age. There is not a hint of strain. The voice is sonorous yet rich with expressiveness.
What's truly surprising is Domingo's total commitment to the dramatic side of the job. He not only sings the part with conviction, but fully embodies it physically. Nabucco's brief lapse into dementia and eventual regaining of sanity are portrayed with such humanity that Domingo brings out the pathos of the Babylonian king better than many baritones who specialize in the repertory.
This is not a superstar engaging in a vanity project or an over-the-hill singer trying to grasp the last straw of his once illustrious career. It is a performance of the highest artistry.
At 72, Domingo has broadened his repertory to include Verdi's baritone roles and imbued them with a combination of passion and maturity.
With a career spanning more than half a century, he keeps going and delivering live and recorded performances to a constantly surprised and always appreciative audience. The one at Beijing's National Center for the Performing Arts would not leave until he took another solo bow.
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