UPDATE (10/16/17): Placido Domingo's concert at the Alamodome has been postponed until further notice. The promoters and venue are working on an alternate date for his appearance in San Antonio.
Monday seemed a hectic day for me, but not nearly as hectic as a normal day for 76 year old Placido Domingo. I waited near the phone, assured that Maestro Domingo would take some time out of his busy day of rehearsals for Giuseppe Verdi's Nabucco, in Los Angeles, to give me a call. At 9 PM, after phone calls from as distant as London, and across three US time zones (Eastern, Central, and Pacific), I connected with the Maestro for what turned out to be a pleasant conversation about his long career in music and his upcoming concert here in San Antonio. Twenty minutes later, I was walking on cloud nine. You see, in 1982 Placido Domingo was declared by Newsweek the "King of Opera" and today, 35 years later, he still reigns.
If there is consensus on anything regarding Placido Domingo, it is that he is a man of great generosity. He was generous to me in granting the interview, and he is consistently generous to his public in concert. His two previous solo concerts in San Antonio have entertained for over two hours, at times pressing the three hour mark. His fans can't get enough of him nor, apparently, can he get enough of his fans.
Unfortunately, we did not have a very good phone line between Los Angeles and San Antonio. Please forgive the audio quality. I rescued all I could, including his amusing story of policemen showing up as he gave a late night serenade to his future wife, he on the sidewalk and she in her fourth floor apartment in Central Mexico City. He also tells of his love for practically all things musical, including Zarzuela, the songs of the Mariachis and, of course, Grand Opera.
Joining Maestro Domingo for Wednesday's concert at the Alamodome will be San Antonio's own Ally Brooke Hernandez and soprano Ana Maria Martinez. Other guests are anticipated for this gala event billed as Le Canta a San Antonio. The concert is dedicated to survivors of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and the Mexico Earthquake. Proceeds from the concert will help grow a relief fund in Domingo's name and the American Red Cross.
Tickets are available at the Alamodome box office or online through www.ticketmaster.com.
