Placido Domingo to Dazzle Korean Fans
By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
He inspired 101 curtain calls lasting 75 minutes in Vienna and a 300-kilogram statue in Mexico City. The man in question is Placido Domingo, and he is back in Korea.
``I'm very, very happy to come back,'' the maestro told reporters in Seoul Monday about returning for a concert tonight at the Olympic Stadium. ``I really love the beautiful country, the music, and I'm really amazed by the way the city has changed so much,'' he said. The Grammy Award-wining tenor was last here in 2001 for a performance celebrating the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and his last full scale recital was in 1995.
The Spanish singer, who turns 68 on the 21st, expressed much excitement about the 40th anniversary of his debut, which falls on March 15. Many celebrations are planned in New York and Milan, he said. Seoul is the only Asian city he will be visiting in the meantime.
``Every morning, I wake up and it's a great feeling to know I can still sing,'' he said about the prospects of retiring. He has no concrete plans to retire, though it ``certainly is closer.'' ``The thing I can guarantee is I won't make the mistake of singing one more day than I could, or singing one day less than I could,'' he said. He also plans to remain a tenor until the end, even though he has assumed baritone opera roles.
``We will be looking forward to have, I hope, an enchanting evening of art… I hope (the public) will discover the artistry of Katherine and Ji-young, and give prestige to Wales and to Korea,'' he said, constantly shifting the media spotlight to his guest singers, Welsh mezzo-soprano Katherine Jenkins and Korean soprano Lee Ji-young.
``I'm very excited to be here and I would personally like to thank Mr. Domingo for this opportunity,'' said Jenkins about her first visit to the country. She also spoke of respect for Domingo, who is not only an inspiring artist but also a warm person who treats everyone with respect. The crossover diva will sing ``Tonight'' from the musical ``West Side Story'' among other songs.
Lee also sings for the first time before the Korean public. The soprano trained under Domingo's young artist program and made a critically acclaimed debut in 2005 with the Washington National Opera, of which Domingo is general director. ``It is a great honor to be singing with Mr. Domingo,'' said Lee.
``For me, of course, it's very thrilling to be able to participate in the search of young singers. It's the most satisfactory way to mature in your career,'' said Domingo, who also heads an annual competition, Operalia, to support rising talent. ``What is most important for me is to have this new generation (of singer) ― that is so important for opera.''
Domingo also emphasized the importance of promoting classical music. Classical musicians have ``a tremendous disadvantage,'' he said, because children mostly listen to pop songs. When planning concerts, it is thus important to include not only operatic arias, but also semi-classical music like Broadway tunes, he said.
The concert tonight features a diverse program ranging from popular favorites to technically taxing tunes like ``Winterstrume'' from Wagner's ``Die Walkure.'' In his last recital here 14 years ago, Domingo sang ``Thoughts of Mt. Keumkang (Geumgang)'' with soprano Hong Hei-kyung. He is expected to surprise Korean fans with another local song, but spared details, saying ``surprises are surprises.''
The Korean Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Eugene Kohn, will accompany the performance. In response to the towering demand in tickets, concert organizers opened extra seats in the concert venue. Call 1577-5266.