Placido Domingo is a remarkable person because he has continued to work into
his senior years, and with all the big projects he has done, his voice is still holding
up with amazing strength.
Trivia time: When you type "placid" into Google, the first hit is Placido Domingo.
Some 18 years ago, he was featured on Sesame Street in guest appearances in
"Live from the Nest" series, as "Placido Flamingo." His ability to not take himself
too seriously is a mark of good character.
The program is going to be pretty much secular, but I wouldn't be surprised if
he does an Ave Maria or something religious. There is such a vast repertoire of
Catholic music, and a lot of it has been the bedrock of Western music.
It's going to be with Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Philharmonic. They're going
to perform opera music and Latin music. It's part of the series, Americas and
Americans. Dudamel is breaking world records as he continues to travel to
Venezuela to direct the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, while he keeps up with the
very busy L.A. Phil schedule.
We'll find out. I can't be too particular for content because as I say, this is the first
time I've ever seen a major vocalist live. I missed ever seeing Luciano Pavarotti,
and Jose Carreras as well, but I don't know if it's too late to hear him. Carreras is
still performing, but I don't see him scheduled to sing anywhere near where I am.
1995 at Dodger Stadium was apparently his last time near me, and that one was
sold out. They can sell out Dodger Stadium for 3 men singing for one show, but
they have a hard time getting the seats filled for baseball. Words to the wise. Last
year he sang in London at Royal Albert Hall.
I believe these prominent artists are an excellent testimony to the enduring value
of classical music as opposed to modern pop styles. You don't see them lose their
vocal abilities nearly as much as pop singers, especially rock n' roll, if you can call
that "singing."
I guess opera music has a lot of moral deviance in it, so you can hardly hold that
up as a model of moral virtue, but only as an example of vocal proficiency. You
can't have everything, I suppose.