Placido Domingo Celebrates Verdi's 200th Birthday With His First Recording Of Baritone Arias

NEW YORK, Aug. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Since the beginning of Placido Domingo's career, which now spans 52 years, Giuseppe Verdi has been one of the most important composers for him. Following countless performances as a tenor, Domingo has now recorded an album of Verdi's baritone arias.  Available August 27^th, the new recording entitled Verdi includes arias from Macbeth, Rigoletto, Un Ballo in Maschera, La Traviata, Simon Boccanegra, Ernani, Il Trovatore, Don Carlo and La Forza del Destino.

The world celebrates Verdi's 200^th birthday this year and Domingo's pays homage to the composer with this new recording. "Verdi is a wellspring of great music, and every lyric singer is grateful to him," says Domingo.  "For me 2013 must be a special celebration and an act of thanksgiving and love toward Giuseppe Verdi."

Domingo emphasizes that his purpose is by no means simply to present something new, come what may: "It is and will remain my voice – a voice that is familiar, that people know very well." However, the newly acquired repertoire brings to light previously unknown timbres in his voice, which Domingo aims to explore. "It is like a painter's palette on which you suddenly discover new colors. The vocal quality and pitch blend to create new forms of expression, which are quite simply exciting – for the singer at least as much as for the listener."

Moreover, he sees Verdi's baritone parts as a challenge for any singer, not only in terms of mastering the music: "Verdi experienced so much pain, so many blows of fate – all of which he put into his operas, and especially into the baritone parts. Singing this, you feel as if you are living through it all yourself. Suffering in public on the stage. Not always an easy process."

Having interpreted and lived all of Giuseppe Verdi's tenor roles on stage, it is an exciting challenge for Domingo to perform the roles in Verdi's operas at a different level through the baritone arias. Domingo has been seen on stage as a baritone in five operas by Verdi: Simon Boccanegra, Rigoletto, and I Due Foscari, as well as Germont in La Traviata at the Metropolitan Opera in New York and in the title role of Nabucco at the Royal Opera in Covent Garden. In 2013, he will be appearing in two other parts: as Giacomo in Giovanna d'Arco at the Salzburg Festival in August and as Count di Luna in Il Trovatore at the Berlin State Opera in November.

For more information and performance dates, visit www.placidodomingo.com.

Sony Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Okeh, Portrait, Sony Classical, RCA Red Seal, and Masterworks Broadway imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.SonyMasterworks.com.

TRACKLISTING
Macbeth
01 - Perfidi! All'anglo contro me v'unite! ... Pieta, rispetto, amore

Rigoletto
02 - Pari siamo! … Io la lingua
03 - Cortigiani, vil razza dannata

Un ballo in maschera
04 - Alzati; la tuo figlio … Eri tu che macchiavi quell' anima

La Traviata
05 - Di Provenza il mar, il suol

Simon Boccanegra
06 - Abbasso le spade! … Plebe! Patrizi! … Popolo dalla feroce storia!
07 - Ecco la spade

Ernani
08 - E questo il loco
09 - Oh, de' verd'anni miei

Il Trovatore
10 - Tutto e deserto …
11 - Il balen del suo sorriso
12 - Qual suono!...Oh ciel!....Per me, ora fatale

Don Carlo
13 - Son io, mio Carlo
14 - Per me giunto e il dì supremo
15 - Che parli tu di morte?

La forza del destino
16 - Morir! Tremenda cosa
17 - Urna fatale del mio destino
18 - E s'altra prova rinvenir potessi?

SOURCE Sony Masterworks