Placido Domingo and Kathleen Battle sing La ci darem la mano

[SuiGenerisKingJames]

He truly is wonderful, but Kathleen is a JEWEL.

[Wanderer329]

In person (having worked with her) she lives up to her reputation as a bitch. And as a singer.......a chirpy albeit accurate voice, though she sounds the same whether she sings Handel, Verdi or Mozart. She got canned at The Met a few years ago, and rightly so.

[Nushika9]

@truvianni Russian and Polish are two pretty different languages. I know pretty well Ukrainian and Russian is my mother language, but I can understand Polish with the greatest difficulties and only when the speed of talking is very low. I would, of course, look for your article. Thank you for the information.

[Nushika9]

@truvianni Russian and Polish are two pretty different languages. I know pretty well Ukrainian and Russian is my mother language, but I can understand Polish with the greatest difficulties and only when the speed of sreechs is very low.

[WhiteDogTherapy]

Happy Birthday to you, Wolfie Mozart!!! Thanks for the awesome music.

[figarodongiovanni81]

nooooooo

[petervanstrien]

Love this video! One finally can enjoy a true opera THEATER and not a bunch of people making ''big opera sound''. If I may join the conversation between @Bahia82 and @Nushika9 : I was educated in Eastern European style of singing; the main criteria of the quality of the opera voice was the strength of the voice, or with other words will it ''cover the orchestra''. As proud as I am of the Russian singing school I have to admit that chasing ''big sound'' we lost the ability to sing THE composer,

[Nushika9]

@petervanstrien You're right my opinion of opera mainly was build when as teenager or later young girl I loved to listen to operas in Bolshoi and Mariinsky theaters. And the reality was that singers' voices needed to be HEARD. Tickets for first rows of Bolshoi were mainly unavailable for regular people. Government distributed them among diplomats, valuable tourists, and some very top officials through also close for general public cultural distributors. So, general public NEEDED strong voices.

[truvianni]

@Nushika9 I am an American and I remember seeing the Bolshoi ballet in 88 in Moscow at the Bolshoi theatre and I do recall the seats to have been very good though I was travelling with a group of tourists.

[Nushika9]

@truvianni Yes, it was easier for tourists than for Soviet citizens to enjoy Soviet culture during Soviet times, especially late Soviet times. I made some useful connections with one ticket sales person in Bolshoi Theater, starting in the beginning of 80-s, and could, therefore, watch some of most famous ballets. Of course, prices were twice regular price. I was still willing to pay. Earlier I didn't know even how to pay. Seats weren't he best, of course. USSR needed foreign money.

[truvianni]

@Nushika9 As a matter of fact I also saw the Bolsoi ballet in Santiago (Chile) while I was working as a photographer and even got to meet some of them. I particularly remember Nina Semizorowa. I went on to write an article about it if you wish to read it please google my name "Gianni Truvianni" and "Bolshoi ballet". Ja toxe panimuju pa Rusky because I speak Polish which is similar.

[Nushika9]

@petervanstrien But it's basic requirement of basic physics. If one is singing in huge halls, this one should have the sufficient voice to be heard everywhere in this hall. Otherwise, this one is unsuitable to sing in such halls. And all politics, the trend of scandals, and possible racial quarrels, etc., which one might connect to it are fully artificial. If directors stage opera in any huge hall, they should correspondingly adjust initial thoughts and requirements of composers, it's clear.

[jewelmarkess]

@petervanstrien Kathleen Battle was perfectly capable of singing unamplified in the largest opera theater in the world - the Metropolitan opera. Hers is a light lyric soprano voice so the roles she sang didn't have heavy orchestration. Domingo was a spinto/dramatic tenor so his voice is big, he even sang some Wagner. Singing over the orchestra isn't about volume. Resonance, vibrato, high "formant frequency" has a lot to do with it. There are different types of operatic voices.

[Nushika9]

This woman has very nice but too light for the scene voice. The voice is very clean but too light and weak.She can't be opera singer, I think, she might perform with chamber orchestras. But maybe because she has such unusual voice for a Black singer she is singing operas, for which she is not suitable.

[Bahia82]

@Nushika9 LOL "this women" please google kathleen battle name, she was described at one time as the best lyric soprano in the world by time magazine.

She is a true Opera singer. It was nothing to do with her being black.

[Nushika9]

@Bahia82 The voice of this singer, if you do not like words'this woman' is too light for opera stage in big theaters. And usually Black singers have strong, not light, voices, but this lady has the light one, which is unusual for Black opera singer, though the voice of Ms. Battle is beautiful and warm, but, once again, too light for the big stage. This is my opinion, and this is also the reality of the matter. And do not try to organize any provocations, especially of racial nature, I won't let!

[Bahia82]

@Nushika9 Her voice is too light for opera in big theaters yet she spent over a decade singing at the MET in Newyork, LOL. Please dont tell me a what black singers have. Their voices range from light to big like everyone elses. You mentioned race not me. you can have your opinion just so long as you recogzine they are not facts

[Nushika9]

@Bahia82 You are right. I judged her voice, as I hear it, but this woman has the very long trend of numerous scandals to match her last name -Battle. Who is right, who is wrong in these scandals,-none of my business. And you, probably, know essentially more than I do about Black singers and Black singing. So, I agree that I presented in my previous comments my OPINION, and the real pertinent facts you might know much better than I do.

[petervanstrien]

Love this video! One finally can enjoy a true opera THEATER and not a bunch of people making ''big opera sound''. If I may join the conversation between @Bahia82 and @Nushika9 : I was educated in Eastern European style of singing; the main criteria of the quality of the opera voice was the strength of the voice, or with other words will it ''cover the orchestra''. As proud as I am of the Russian singing school I have to admit that chasing ''big sound'' we lost the ability to sing THE composer..

[Shodansixtyone]

What a wonderful discovery to find these two exceptional artists whos music transforms one to a diffrent place - a better place, a place where roses grow and love abounds. Bravo dearest ones.

[jsg03jd]

Domingo started out as a baritone. I like his voice as DG.

[a058852]

It is the first time I hear this duet with a tenor! How very exciting, especially that Kathleen is phenomenal, as always. The sound is marvelous, it could be a duet between Cherubino and Zerlina indeed :)

[63oldgymrat]

Just enjoy all the variations! Not so hard to do.

[tagoreee]

kathleen battle has aspirated "t"s! ew

[SuperMarkova]

Davvero preferisco un baritono per il DG. Ma quello che mi piace tanto - lui riconosce sempre il colore della sua voce! Di sicuro anche lui potrebbe produrre la voce di baritono ma per fortuna non scurisce per opposizione a tanti baritoni (o "baritoni") comunque celebri...

[Lindoron]

OK. Nothing against Domingo. But ... Don Giovanni is really not a role for Tenor.

[oscarnotwild]

But the tenors seem to love to sing the DON. Bobby Alagna recorded "Deh, vieni alla finestra " in one of his cds.

[saxamaphoneguy1]

Kathleen is great in this! Placido is without doubt my favorite tenor, hands down, however this is for BARITONE! I love him, but the tenor nature of his voice doesn't quite fit. It's nice in a concert setting like this though!

[raigekimaru]

@saxamaphoneguy1

seriously. this Don G. is a player, not some white prince in shining armor. you need a dark, sexy lower register to sing this, tenors just don't have that

[charmingemily]

question:

is there an accent on the "NO" syllable in "la ci darem la maNO"?

some versions on youtube has accent while others don't. On my score there is an accent.

thanks

[ThedMaster86]

@charmingemily : no, just plain pronounciation. the only mistake everyone makes is forgettin to put it on the a of là.

[ThedMaster86]

@charmingemily : so the correct title should be "là ci darem la mano". the first là means there. the second means the.

[LedyLopez]

Lovely so much!

[inthedesert2008]

My goodness - beautiful singing, and that's some pretty amorous acting too! A little too authentic methinks!

[trudiDumb]

Oh, yes. I love him too. <3

[holograficbrilliant]

I love Placido!!!!

[sudler2008]

Oh my goodness - these guys are getting me excited!

[kraftpr]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that Domingo began as a baritone. Enrico Caruso could also sing, quite adequately, some baritone arias.

[tiernan87]

Yep. 'Tis true.

[akirren]

I love domingo's voice, but I still prefer a really deep baratone for don giovanni. He sounds beautiful, but his timber is still that of a tenor, even at this point in his career. It's like a soprano trying to sing Carmen: it sounds nice, but doesn't compare to a mezzo.

[dougbalt]

That's exactly right. It would sound better with a real baritone. However, since it's just a recital, and they're not on stage, he can get away with it.

[sylviaseven]

They are best in La ci darem la mano

[blkchk]

I just love them both. Thank God there is real music still being performed in the world.

[dougbalt]

Say what you want about Battle's behavior offstage... We, as her fans, don't have to worry about it because her entertainment value is untainted. She's got it all: distinctive, sweet voice; acting; looks....

[blkchk]

She does seem to have her battles (no pun intended) but there is no denying her voice...reminds me of crystal when I hear it. Lovely.

[junehilde]

Placido has it all--the fabulous voice,and a consummate actor. And, of course, Battle is at her best when she us the center of attention.

[JRn4FF36]

This is the best erotic-movie ever seen...

[hawkssens]

Hahahaha! I was wondering what was Placido Domingo doing at the end of the performance.

Thank you so much for uploading this!

[omniscope99]

Threw up?? lol

[lifesavers234]

hehe I love that they are both singing crap out of their rep... it's so fun :)

[fortissimo25]

they perform this piece the best!!!

[hkk321]

Thanks so much for posting! I read (I think in Domingo's book) that he had been interested in singing Don Giovanni at some point, and Karajan actually offered him the part in the 1986 Salzburg festival with Battle as Zerlina. But Domingo wasn't ready at that point, knowing that he would have been pushing his voice to do a baritone role. I hope he might do it now at the end of his career, since his voice has lowered.

[ralou46]

the voices blending is awesome - absolutely awesome. its such a shame that the audio is out of sync with the picture when it sounds as good as it does

[Cavatina21]

Battle's voice is PERFECT for Zerlina!!! I love it!!! And Placido... he may be a tenor, but I LOVE HIM TO DEATH, and he sounds fabulous!!! :) I think part of it is because he has such a full, rich tenor sound, not like Andrea Bocelli or any of these wanna-be opera tenors. And, inclusio, I totally agree - they have great charisma together!

And the Japanese subtitles just amused me... hee hee! :)

[Suki40330]

It doesn't get any better than Placido and Kathleen. Absolutely wonderful.

[singinginachurch]

I guess because he`s a tenor he has a slightly higher register than a baritone would. But he did a really good job here. =]

[Iareto]

This is nice, but this has to be sung by a baritone. Domingo is a good singer, but there is just something missing when the Don doesn't have that depth of sound. Battle does well here as well.

[singinginachurch]

Great video!

[alinde555]

Charming, beatiful! Thank you for sharing.

[inclusio]

I have been searching for a clip of Placido singing with Kathleen Battle. I imagined the combination of these two great voices to be truly beauiful ~ and it was. The charisma between these them is electrifying. I found myself laughing and applauding! Thank you for posting it. Do you know of any more clips with these two ?lease?

[yn65he]

Thanks a lot for the post ! Could you please post more????

[wansob]

It is already on a site :-)

[Luisa5575]

No entiendo nada. Qué hace Plácido cantando éste dúo de barítono y soprano?, igual, está muy lindo.

[Wildlatinae]

También hay una versión en que canta Nicolai Ghiaurov con la soprano y señora suya Mirella Freni. Él es bajo.

[DragosCojocaru]

Bravissimi!

[LaBelleHelene]

Beautifuuuul!! =)