“Can you see how fabulous these voices are?” Placido Domingo repeated excitedly last week at the large concert hall in the small German town of Friedrichshafen on the Bodenski Lake where the “Operalia” rehearsal was held, the final evening of the world famous opera competition among young talents. This world famous tenor, who will be performing in Pula this week, has a forty year career behind him and was the central figure at the annual Operalia festival. At the rehearsal, he listened attentively from various angles of the hall to 16 young men and women that qualified from 40 from all around the world. He spoke with each of them, pointing out mistakes and giving them the courage they need for that evening’s final performance before the voting that will announce the winner. The wife of this famous opera singer, Marta Domingo, is one of ten music experts in the jury and was once an opera singer herself. She is now an opera producer, and she paid close attention to the young singers as they performed the most famous opera aria. At the end of the rehearsal, she despairingly nodded her head saying: “I really don’t know what we are going to do. There have never been so many exceptional musicians in the past”.

Marta Domingo accompanies her husband on nearly every tour. When we asked her if it was exerting, she abruptly answered: “No way, it is a real privilege and pleasure”. The same spark can be found with Placido Domingo. The sixty-two year old tenor, born in Madrid, is the most sought-after tenor in the world. Apart from his colleagues and friends Lucianno Pavarotti and Jose Carreras, who have spent the last several years performing at concerts, Domingo actively performs as a singer and conductor and opens the season at several of the most prestigious opera houses: New York’s Metropolitan, Milan’s Scala, the Vienna Opera, as well as the Los Angeles and Washington operas. In the former two opera houses, he is artistic director. Even though the vicious London critics published that he was, at his performance in Covent Garden for the end of Royal Opera’s season, “a half decent conductor” and no longer a tenor but only a legend, the public still admires him.

On 30 July, in Pula, he will be performing with Croatian television’s Symphony Orchestra, Portuguese sopranist Elizabet Matos and Spanish conductor, Jose Collada.

NACIONAL: You arrived at Bodenski Lake from London where you had several performances of the opera “I Pagliacci” at Covent Garden. It is interesting that in several of the performances and operas you sang, and in others you conducted the Royal Opera Orchestra. What is the experience like doing two completely different jobs at the same time?

I performed in five operas, and in three I acted as the conductor. I had many opportunities before where I conducted and sang on the same day, but never in the same opera. For example, at the Met I sang in “Parsifal” during the day and conducted the evening opera “Madame Butterfly”. I think the situation in London helped me because I sang before I conducted; if it was the other way around I would have not had the energy to sing.

NACIONAL: Was that the eminent opera “I Pigliacci” by Franca Zeffirelli that you toured many of the world’s stages with?

I cannot say that we traveled the world with this opera but we did perform at some very important places. I worked with Zeffirelli a lot: we did “Tosca” and “Turandot” at the Metropolitan, “Turandot” and “Masquerade dance” at the Scala, “Carmen” in Vienna, filmed a movie version of “Traviata”, and did “Othello” with Muti. Zeffirelli is the producer that I have probably worked most with.

NACIONAL: You sang many times at Covent Gardens in your career. Before the performance of “Tosca” in 1967 your partner passed away suddenly. How did you feel?

She was a sopranist from Australia, Marie Collier, very famous in her part in “Tosca”. That production, also Zeffirelli’s, was originally meant for Maria Callas, but later Marie Collier was exceptional in this role. Her heart stopped beating the day before the performance and the atmosphere in the theatre was very heavy. We were all very sad but the performance had to continue. We needed to find a replacement immediately, and we found an astounding sopranist from Wales, Gwinneth Jones.

NACIONAL: You have only performed once in Croatia, in Split in 1997, but you have performed on many different stages with Croatian singers, from Sena Jurinac, Ruža Pospiš-Baldini, Ljiljana Molnar Talajić, and Vladimir Ruždjak.

It is true that I have met many of your artists but I must confess that I sang in Belgrade twice before, a long time ago when it was still Yugoslavia. I sang many times with Breda Kalen, a great singer, Biserka Cvejić and Radmila Bakočević as well, but I am not sure what part of the former Yugoslavia they are from. The beautiful artist Ruža Pospiš-Baldini is from Zagreb. I have been in contact with many individuals. Even in Los Angeles, I performed with one Croatian, Tara Colbrun, who unfortunately passed away recently. I hope that I will have an opportunity to see my friend Bernie Ecclestone whose wife is Croatian.

NACIONAL: When you débuted in 1967 in the “Don Carlos” performance at the Vienna opera, the conductor was Berislav Klobučar, originally from Zagreb. Several years ago he told me in an interview how, while he was conducting “Tosca”, the sopranist’s wig caught on fire just as she was attempting to kill Scarpia. You were also in that performance. How did you react?

Yes, that was “Tosca” with Galina Visnjevski who insisted that she wear her wig because it was regulated as a nonflammable wig in Vienna. In the scene where she kills Scarpia, her hair caught on fire from a candle flame. Even though he should have been dead, Scarpia ran after her trying to take her burning wig off of her head. She had no idea what was going on and she put up a fight. I astoundingly stood very close to them and when he finally managed to tear the wig off her head, I poured wine that they had been drinking on scene all over it. Scary moment! Thank God that these incidents do not occur more often.

NACIONAL: You are at the head of two large American opera houses, in Los Angeles and Washington. Do you think that you are a good manager?

I hope I am, but the most important thing is to have a good budget so that we can receive the right people to create a good repertory.

NACIONAL: In the newest issue of the specialized magazine “Opera News”, an article emerged that claimed that Los Angeles has become a huge artistic center and that New York is really losing its two year leading role. Do you think this is true?

I think it is over exaggerated. New York is going through difficult times because of the attack on September 11, but I still feel that many people who visit New York do not miss the opportunity to see a performance at the Metropolitan Opera. It is true that New York has fewer tourists. At the same time, many interesting things are happening in Los Angeles, in an artistic sense the quality is rising. I plan to call several of the young singers that I met at this year’s international “Operalia” competition at Bodenski Lake and invite them to come to Los Angeles and Washington. The jury that selected the winner was in an unpleasant situation because a whole range of exceptional talent appeared and they did not know who to select until the final moment. It is very important that they receive the opportunity to develop and always sing.

NACIONAL: Apart from Pavarotti and Carreras, you perform very intensively. Have new talented singers appear that could acquire the popularity of the three famous tenors?

There are many good tenors among the new generation that have appeared over the past several years. They are vocally prepared for large challenges to acquire a name like the three of us but the most important factor is the public. The audience creates the star if there is magic. The audience feels whether the singer has the quality necessary to be a star. It is not only about singing, it is about the personality of the singer and the chemistry with the public. All singers have the same opportunity- they sing different parts and go from theatre to theatre but only a few become big stars. That is the magic.

NACIONAL: Can you mention a few new names?

There is a range of established singers that are in their thirties like Alagna, Marcelo Alvares, Salvatore Licitre, Marcello Giordani, but I would like to mention several young singers like Diego Floreso who is only 29 and a great artist, and Ana Metetko, an exceptional sopranist from Russia. There is a difference between my generation and today’s. We had to tour all theatres and sing but thanks to television today, it is very easy to create an image from large concerts that are shown.

NACIONAL: You are going to sing in the Pula arena where Monserrat Caballe and Jose Carreras sang before. Do you enjoy singing outdoors?

I am very excited about Pula, and I will reveal that I have been invited to lead a concert next year at the arena in Verona that will be called “Stone Crown”. The idea is to electronically connect that evening’s events in several of Europe’s roman amphitheatres, Pula being one of them.

NACIONAL: Why do people like opera?

First of all because the music is something for their soul, second of all because of the opera stars that they want to see and hear, and third of all because they love opera, regardless of who sings, because they can identify themselves with the stories of love and tragedy. Opera is the most complete form of art: there is music, human voice, scenes, direction, lights, costumes- it entertains all human sense and that is simply fantastic.

NACIONAL: You have sung in 120 opera roles until today. Which was your favorite?

That is as if you ask which child a parent loves most. That is why I will answer in this fashion: I love the opera most that I sing that evening.

NACIONAL: Didn’t Othello gain a special place in your heart? How true is it that this is such a dangerous role that they call it the tenor murder?

That is surely one of the most difficult roles that I have sung, but it is not that difficult. I have sung Othello 220 times and enjoyed it every time. It is most important for that role that you are both a good singer and a good actor to get the audience believing the tragedy written by Shakespeare.

NACIONAL: You had a lot of success in that role, but last year at Scala you had an accident. How did that happen?

I opened the season at Scala 25 years ago with Othello and when I did the same last year, it was the first time that I experienced success. The second night, most likely because I had just realized the excitement of that, I had to stop the performance in the second act because I got sick. The doctors determined that my blood pressure had risen and that I should not continue. When I rested in the changing room, I knew everything would be okay and that the show would go on. It was not easy but after several hours of rest I returned on stage.

NACIONAL: You were born in Spain, grew up in Mexico, lived in Israel for more than two years when you began your singing career, and now you mainly reside in the United States. Where is your home?

In New York, but I do have a home in Acapulco so in some way Mexico is my home. My family meets up there in the summer and I will do the same after Pula and one more performance in Salzburg.

NACIONAL: You got married for the first time when you were very young, at age sixteen, and you have two sons with your second wife. Are they also in the music industry?

My first marriage was so long ago that I can hardly remember it. I have a son from that marriage, Pepe Jose, and he is a composer. My middle son is also a composer and my youngest, Alvaro, who is here with me, is a film producer.

NACIONAL: Your parents were famous Spanish zarzuela singers who spent most of their lives in Mexico. Are they alive and do they ever sing zarzuela?

I learned many things from them about singing. They, unfortunately, are no longer alive, they passed away in old age- my father was 97, and my mother was 94. Zarzuela was the first music I ever listened to and of course I sang it.

NACIONAL: Are you more tied to Spain or Mexico?

Mexico is important to me because I grew up there, and because I got married there. My wife is Mexican, and my children are Mexican. I am Spanish and I am very proud of my country. I have a lot of family in Spain.

NACIONAL: Whose idea was it in 1990, in Rome, to organize the first concert of the three tenors at the final match of the soccer finals?

That idea came from Mario Dradi, a musical manager and producer. As you know, Jose Carreras had just successfully been cured of leukemia and we followed his fight with huge anxiety and decided to celebrate. It was a huge success.

NACIONAL: So you repeated the concert several times over the next few years.

Every four years at the world soccer championships; in Los Angeles, Paris, and last year in Yokohama.

NACIONAL: You played soccer yourself, and once you were a commentator for several matches for Spanish television?

I love soccer and I have enjoyed it all my life. I know that one Croatian player – Šuker- played in the club that I cheer for, Real Madrid.

NACIONAL: Pavarotti has a restaurant in Modena, you have one in New York. Does the restaurant business have a special relationship with opera?

No. My grandmother had a restaurant in Spain and my father worked with her. When I visited that restaurant for the first time, I said that I wanted to one day have a restaurant too. It was not an easy job, it did not start off well until I found the right people and now it is a very successful fish restaurant. It no longer is named after me, it is now called Pampano. It is located on 49th street, between 2nd and 3rd avenue.

NACIONAL: I found out that you started a course with Maria Callas in New York…

No, I did not start her course, I met up with her because I know her pianist. I did not have time for the course because I was extremely busy.

NACIONAL: Is it true that you were very connected to your teacher Carlo Morelli who gave you a ring that he wore for his entire life?

He was a very positive person and he guided me in the right direction. I thought I would be a baritone but, as soon as he heard me, he said I could be a tenor. I worked with him for some time and it is now apparent because I am a tenor. He did give me his ring.

NACIONAL: In Los Angeles this September, you will sing your 120th role. You will be Raspucin in the new opera “Nikolai and Alexandra” that outlines the love of Nikolai II and the empress Alexandra who was murdered in 1918 by the Bolsheviks. Was it written especially for you? Who is the author?

It was written for the Los Angeles Opera, but the role of Raspucin was made for me. The young American composer, Deborah Drattell, wrote it and she has had success with the first three operas that she wrote.

NACIONAL: Is it modern music; how will you adapt to that style after classical Italian?

The music is modern but melodic and I really like it. It cannot be compared to Verdi or other classical composers, but I am very happy that I will sing the role of Raspucin.

NACIONAL: It doesn’t bother you that this time you will not be the good tenor?

No, because it is an extremely secret and interesting individual that no one knew much about. He foresaw many things that happened in Russia.

NACIONAL: I heard that you were interested in politics and that you planned to become a candidate for the mayor in Madrid.

That is true but at the same time I knew that I would have to give up singing to enter politics. Now it is too late because, even though I am 62 years old, I still intensively concern myself with music.

NACIONAL: Did you achieve everything that you wanted?

I did have a lot of luck and I can say that I am completely happy with my career and what I have achieved. Now my greatest wish is to help young singers. If God were to say to me: “Placido, you can no longer sing” I would kneel before him and say: “Okay, I will miss singing but I sang for many years and I am grateful for everything that I received”.