Placido Domingo - Il mio tesoro (Don Giovanni)

[operalover67]

quite surprising...well done...of course just una tantum...the quick tempo helps him however...

[NataliaCorrentina]

OMG, I have not heard a better version... this is just heavenly...

[errpinin]

Grat job. But I still prefer Araiza for these rol. Better tecnique, phrasing and musicality.

[barryhawk23]

The character of Don Ottavio is supposed to be lightweight, no?

[simonidamiletic]

Lascio subito Don Giovanni e me ne vado con Don Ottavio :-)) Che meraviglia di voce e di tecnica!!

Sublime !

[hmro1978]

WANDERFUL

[Agorante]

Of course Domingo was a better opera singer than Pavarotti. Much better. Pavarotti was a stadium singer. He sang songs and arias. Very well indeed but in opera you have to learn all the recit, wear costumes, and act too. Pavarotti abandonned the opera stage ASAP. Toward the end the golden voice was still there but he was too fat and sick to move.

[seektheforce]

@Agorante Domingo was not a better singer than Pavarotti. Actor sure, but Domingo's tongue is so tight he's not one of the best baritones I've heard.

[Agorante]

@seektheforce Please note that I said opera singer not simply singer. Most people can't sing an opera aria but just being able to sing an aria isn't all it takes. Pavarotti had a wonderful voice but otherwise was poorly equiped for the opera stage. He had trouble learning roles, he had trouble moving. He was like Lanza in many ways. He had the pipes but but prefered to sing opera excerpts not actual operas. I heard Pavarotti (and Domingo, and Carreras) sing full length operas live many times.

[gkopij]

OMG , this is not funny. I have been listening to Domingo most of my life thinking that  he was a great tenor. Try to listen to Francisco Araiza first and than switch to Domingo's version, you will know the difference by heart , you do not have to be an expert in opera.

[errpinin]

Not Bad butt Araiza is the most perfect for these roll.

[misspresident8]

Ottavio has no balls...

[sunday717]

No, No, No, No, No, this is not how it is sung. Don't sing Mozart Domingo stick to what is your style of music. Listen to those dreadful runs and it's not sung with any heart either.

[ombraninja]

Il mio tesoro intanto andate a consolar, che del bel ciglio il pianto cercate di asciugar. Ditele che i suoi torti a vendicar io vado. Che sol di stragi e morti nunzio voll'io tornar.

Bellissima opera e grandissimo Placido Domingo

[TheVerdiBaritone]

Please remember, the original tenor in Prague could not sing his aria adequately for Mozart. The tenor for the second production, in Vienna, could not sing the second aria and so the first was used. That is why there are now two arias for the tenor. They both are very difficult.

[MrDsmalls]

He breaths during the epic coloratura passage!!! What the heck? The whole point of that passage is to test the breath support there and he clearly doesn't have it... Let's move on.. it ruins the song

[MegaBreez]

@MrDsmalls

thanks for great remark, this is NOT GOOD singing, he is out of tune a lot of times, singing is very forceful,too much pressure, NOT a bell canto, short breath.

please listen to Maestro Luigi Alva, on You tube.He is the Best Ottavio of course for me, and by the way in this role better than Pavarotti.he is "prince of stile and charm"

[cincorn]

@MrDsmalls listen to Luigi Alva sing this passage on a rare clip here on Youtube.  The best Ottavio ever and one of the best Bel Canto Tenors ever.

[causabon99]

Not a Mozart singer, I think. Can't hold a candle to Alva or Mc Cormack on technique or tone. Loses it in the middle, where bel canto technique and purity is essential. Domingo over his career tried to be too many things to too many men. Pavarotti, sadly, sold out to commerce. There are no great tenors nowadays.

[seektheforce]

@causabon99 Jerry Hadley was good.

[AfroPoli]

Listening to and looking at this I wonder how the poor Don Giovanni has to look/sing to rival this Don Ottavio. Maybe Gary Oldman with a voice of a young Lawrence Tibbett, or, nah. No chance.

[nnmakowska]

@AfroPoli With this Don Ottavio it is obvious that Don Giovanni must have tried to ravish Donna Anna, since he had no means to seduce her...

[Uruguruh]

Unbelievable!!!!!!!

[trendyyy]

The best tenor ever....with no doubt

[tehen162]

I like it very much. Surprisingly good sung, beautiful voice. I think Mozart has to be sung lthis way, with heavier voice, not leggero. Bravo Domingo!

[gainswell]

@tehen162 Sorry, I totally disagree on how Mozart is supposed to be sung. With due respect for Domingo's talents, I believe the way Luigi Alva and John McCormack sing it is the correct way of singing Mozart - leggiero all the way.

[IndianKBlue]

Bickering between Pavarotti and Domingo seems trite.

And I'll take proper technique over effort any day. Neither of them sing the song the way Mozart transcribed it. Luigi Alva did (with great voice). Domingo might have "balls", but he puts them out a bit too much, seeing as his "balls" (or voice) seem to taper off at 1:45 in this aria.

It's kind of a shame that are so-called greats of today can't do what was expected out of any performer when opera was a more mainstay form of entertainment.

[Gardenia262]

Plácido eres el mejor. Gracias por publicarlo

[jrevoredoi]

Luis Alva:  /watch?v=MUnDXmJaiko&feature=r­elated

[deserticus18]

The difference between Domingo and Pavaroti is like the difference between a Stradivarius and Guarnerius , which one is better depend on the player, the performer, the music played , and of course , the listener

[mestrehistoria]

No debería cantar esta pieza. Plácido se encuentra más cómodo en otros roles, pero bueno. No deja de ser interesante escuchar esta pieza con su voz.

[Ordennacionalista]

Y quien se supone que podría cantar esta pieza. Ud. acaso?

[MegaBreez]

Please listen to the same aria sang by great Luigi Alva..it is amazing for me that everybody knows AR.Domingo, and not so many hear about HEAVENLY ALVA.

[piasecznik]

I agree that Alva is great, but he's no competition to Domingo here- not because he's worse, but because one is a dramatic tenor or at least a heavy lyric while the other one is a light lyric or leggiero. Totally different approach.

[MegaBreez]

@piasecznik

we know that, but let me ask you, why the tempo is so fast, and high notes sound lower than it should be?

Alva has impeccable breath work, and evenly singing, and pure intonation.

I understand this is not Domingo's role. but why sing it?are you aware that he very often is lowering original key to be able to sing high notes. that is why some are calling him simingo(note si instead of do)

i appreciate Mr Domingo very much, but I believe Mr, Alva deserves to be known more.

[piasecznik]

@MegaBreez

A lot of tenors are not singing in key. That's not unusual. Pavarotti did it, except for when he was in his very prime, even Caruso did it.

I think the tempo here is an interpretative choice- Domingo sings a manly, dramatic Ottavio, puts more emphasis on the 'che sol di stragi é morti' than on the 'Il mio tesoro intanto' part, Alva does it the other way 'round, is a more gentle, romantic Ottavio.

I like both. And I fear you don't get famous by excelling in Mozart and Rossini.

[JIMY45GR]

Il mio tesoro intanto

Andate a consolar,

E del bel ciglio il pianto

Cercate di asciugar.

Ditele che i suoi torti

A cendicar io vado;

Che sol di stragi e morti

Nunzio vogl'io tornar.

[operalament]

i know this is gonna raise some eyebrows, or perhaps annoy a few people, but i have always said that Pavarotti had a great voice, but that Domingo is a better singer. No disrespect intended or implied.

[jhvorotin]

yeah watch out for Pavarotti fans! But you're right. Pavarotti was more naturally gifted but Domingo has more technique and artistry.

[fabrizzzio48]

Domingo does not have more technique. Not at all.

Artistry? He sang so much that ill suited his voice.

When he sticks to material suited for him, and is not expected to go beyond B, preferably A# he's in his turf.

In this version he is very ill at ease. The pace too fast for him. The breathing tending to gasp at the end of each phrase for most of the opening phrases.

He Placidoes the piece. He does not discover the piece, he Placidoes it.

[JoshuaMazur]

@jhvorotin WHOA... Domingo = Better Technique? I beg to Differ.

[bookkeeper57]

@jhvorotin They were equals in terms of technique and artistry.

Domingo's voice was deeper, and Pavarotti had a stronger upper range. 

[hansquad]

@jhvorotin

Yeah, he can conduct an orchestra, that's SOMETHING.

[TheValdoro]

@jhvorotin pavarotti is as much of a technition as domingo. catch pavs in a concert just him and the piano and hear him sing the most dificult songs with ease that can only come from technique.

[seektheforce]

@jhvorotin I think it's the other way around. I'm not a huuge Pavarotti fan. But Domingo never unlocked his top.

[bassfanne45]

@operalament , I agree with you, but I always thought that as a young man, before he started singing repertoire that was too heavy for him, Jose Carreras had a better voice than either one of them.

[arpeggio1358]

@operalament As a young singer, I think Jose Carreras was an even finer singer than either Domingo or Pavarotti. Also, no disrespect intended or replied. This is just my opinion.

[gainswell]

@arpeggio1358 YOU are a young singer?

[arpeggio1358]

@gainswell I was referring to Carreras as a young singer.

[gainswell]

@arpeggio1358 Thanks for your clarification. But the way your sentence was structured: "As a young singer, I think..... " indicates that YOU were referring to yourself, not JC.

The confusion could have been avoided if you'd written "The young Carreras (I think) was better than both Domingo and Pav..."

[arpeggio1358]

@gainswell I could have made it clearer if I had phrased it the way you suggest.

[andresayz4545]

@operalament i always felt the same way, luciano had a drop dead gorgeous voice but from a purely artistic standpoint i have to give the edge to placido. but I still love them both equally!

[datakaos]

DOMINGO eil mio cantante prefferitto, ma la sua voce non e fatta per quest'opera;

[mrn37]

@operalament There is recording of Domingo doing "Frisch zum Kampfe" from Die Entfuhrung were he does a trill that some female coloraturas would be jealous of.

[mrawesome425]

@operalament I like to think that Pav was a better singer, but Domingo was a much more superior musician as a whole.

[timjuillet]

@operalament Would much rather listen to Pavarotti.. It's the natural beauty of his voice. Something you can't learn, it's just there.. Domingo is a great singer. The funny thing about it is that I wouldn't want Pavarotti to have changed a thing. I think his voice rang true just letting it be... Whereas Domingo needs the artistry to compliment his instrument. His voice is great too, but not the pure sound that Pavarotti had. Does that make any sense?

[gainswell]

@timjuillet In terms of beauty of tone, Gigli was better than Pav. Bjorling, Crooks and Tagliaivini's voices also sound better than Pav's. Domingo's vowel modification technique is in accordance with the natural vocal acoustical laws so he could produce the desired effect both technically and artistically. Although Domingo's voice is heavier, it is more colorful than Pavarotti's - which sound bland to my ears. I have heard Pav in live concert back in the 1980's..

[preruminator]

The impact of the Niagara Falls! Thanks for sharing it with us.

[AmericanEvita]

I like Domingo singing anything! It's interesting how he had also sung Don Giovanni and was once a baritone...he could actually sing Mozart too! I like his Don Ottavio it makes it sound heroic and greater than other boring Ottavios

[edraith]

Formerly it was sung by voices that where baritenorili or tenors with an heroic voice (we're not speaking about modern fachs, I'm not referring to neither the heldentenor nor the ancient baritenore voice).

This role was written for an high lyrical baritone or for a tenor with heroic voice and not so high or tiny voice.

It was written around the voice of the same tenor of Tito in La Clemenza di Tito (around his voice was written Don Giovanni itself...).

[MastersoftheOpera]

Thanks for that historic info. I do love Domingo singing this. He also sang Idomeneo & that was amazing. He did have a great Mozart voice - but today's Mozart tenos dont sound like this. They tend to sound more like pure lyric tenors like Bjussi BjorlingJ Luigi Alva, Fritz Wunderlich or Stuart Burrows. Even Tamino in Magic Flute which should sound heroic does not

[edraith]

You're right. Nontheless I would not discriminate a dramatic tenor who choses to approach Mozart roles: if he sings that roles with the correct musical style, he could even be an heldentenor or baritone and to my hears would be fine, because the vocal score is not that "tenore leggero" score as nowadays we have the tendency to suppose.

Look at Pollione, instead: same thing of many Mozart tenors, but with high notes (originally sung in falsettone): he is performed by tenori spinti or drammatici

[seektheforce]

@edraith wow I never knew that, most interesting. So is baritenore still used as a classification of voice?

[edraith]

No, it is a "dead" vocal fach.

Baritenore sung high notes with falsettone, like tenore baritonale and tenore leggiero did (only basso, and later baritono, sung without falsettone).

[seektheforce]

My voice teacher classifies me as a baritenore, seeing as it is a "dead" fach, what would be the equivalent in modern fach?

[edraith]

No voice fits properly in an unique vocal fach. (ok, it may happen, but regularly no voice IS A Lyric Tenor, A Dramatic Bass, A Lirico Spinto Soprano)

You should develop your voice in some direction. How old are you? Maybe your voice will become a Baritono Lirico (for Mozart, Rossini) or a Tenore Lirico Mozartiano (for Mozart roles, where nowadays they emplot "tenore leggero", but were written for "tenore baritonale").

[seektheforce]

I'm 18 years old, I can sing the B below middle C comfortably, and I can sing the E above middle C as my top note right now, I plan on majoring in voice in college.

[piasecznik]

Judging only from your range and not your timbre, that sounds more baritonish than baritenorish to me. I'm 17, I can sing a F above middle C as comfortably as any other note below it and a high C in strained, uncomfortable chest voice, and I wouldn't consider myself a baritenore.

[seektheforce]

@piasecznik Yes my voice teacher just cleared that up, according to broadway people I would be a baritenore, according to fach I would fall more in the lyric-baritone range.

[Lovelytenor1]

Do NOT worry about range at this time. Work on singing long comfortable phrases & work on the breath in the athletic sense- & I mean athletic. PD wears a weightlifters belt when he sings- I heard him discuss it & saw him wearing it in performance- get the picture? I hope you find a good teacher!

[seektheforce]

Thank you very much, are there any pieces you would recommend?

[Lovelytenor1]

Anything w/a long lryic line. Try the songs of Donaudy, for example. Remember, the key is finding the teacher who will help you build your instrument. The right songs are secondary. LP said, "an exercise worth doing once is worth doing 100 times". Of course, someone must help you produce the right sound before the exercises do you any good. Good luck!

[gainswell]

@edraith I beg to differ. A voice should be developed, but not changed. We must accept whatever voice we are born with and "manipulating" it would only lead to harm or damage. Domingo, Bergonzi and a few others changed their roles after awhile but that was after they "found" what their natural voice truly was.

[littlemissmoodygirl]

I expected this to be terrible, but it's actually really good.

[shaun20483]

At last a Ottavio with balls!! That's how it should be-the opera makes perfect sense this way.

[rupepill]

@shaun20483 Good for you! You are certainly quite right. If some or even many tenors fail to sing the part with gumption, that is not what the character of Don Ottavio is intended to be. The role is that of a young man, protective of his fiancee, trying to help her avenge Don Giovanni's killing of her father. Far from being a wimp, as some parrots keep mindlessly repeating, Don Ottavio is a brave and loyal youngster, determined to confront his enemy.

[sunday717]

@rupepill Just thought you'd like to know that Don Ottavio is meant to be more the age of Donna Anna's father. He is measured so takes things slower. He is not meant to be impulsive. He is protective and cares deeply for Donna Anna and when the time comes he makes sure the murderer is found as you correctly say but he is not young.

[rupepill]

@sunday717 Thank you. Was it Da Ponte who meant Don Ottavio to be more the age of of Donna Anna's father? I'd be grateful for further information on that point. The only reference I have so far found to Don Ottavio's age is: "... the role of Don Ottavio is stamped with the delicacy of sentiment, the respectful reserve of a well-born youth who is consoling the woman who is to be his wife..." ("Music With Ease" site)

[arpeggio1358]

@shaun20483 Jan Peerce sang the role that way also.

[flautasdulces]

Thanks for posting this track. I like Domingo's interpretation very much.

[josdavshalom12]

fantastic

great

the best of the best

[quis178]

I have a live recording of Domingo singing this aria much better.

[jhvorotin]

post it!

[quis178]

I don't know how to post it.If you want I can send you the recording of the recital.He was in great voice and sang many great arias.

[blichilde]

Not bad,but I think this piece is not for Placido.Simply,it doesn't work.

[LaDonnaMobile]

I really love Plácido singing this, but I'm not sure it's entirely appropriate to Don Ottavio to sing this with balls! Most Don Ottavios sound like weak-voiced wimps...

[jhvorotin]

I like the way you say it...haha

[nnmakowska]

Why not? There have been so many interpretations of this opera even less plausible than that., imho.

[KatherineXIX]

Of course it can be sung with balls. The only two Ottavios I've ever actually liked sang it with lots of balls...the whole role, in fact!

[nnmakowska]

I'd say it should be... after all it seems (at least to me) that what D. Ottavio really lacks is not courage but experience.

[tenor9216]

"weak-voiced wimps"... wow... what a BAD description of leggiero tenors ! It's just another type of tenor voice, with can be as beautiful as any other. Not as powerful, sure, but more agile, and certainly as rich and expressive !

[DTGeek155]

I love leggiero tenors. I like dramatic tenors more, but those soprano notes will always hold a special place in my heart.

[FATowlie]

@LaDonnaMobile That's because Don Ottavio is a weak-voiced wimp. It's a perfect fit.

[VincentRicciardi]

@LaDonnaMobile Listen to Fritz Wunderlicht. Yet another interpretation with Balls!

[psalmtone2008]

@LaDonnaMobile Ottavio is ill-served by weak-voiced wimps, I think. Ottavio should be heroic, I think...