Plácido Domingo was born in Madrid, Spain, and moved to Mexico at age 8 with his family, who ran a zarzuela company. In Mexico City he studied music at the National Conservatory. He provided backup vocals for Los Black Jeans in 1958, a rock-and-roll band lead by César Costa. He learned piano and conducting, but made his stage debut in 1959 (May 12) at the Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara as Pascual in Marina. It was followed by Borsa in Rigoletto, Padre Confessor (Le dialogue des Carmelites) and others. In 1962 he joined the Israeli National Opera in Tel Aviv, where he spent two and a half years, singing 280 performances.
On September 19, 1985, the biggest earthquake in Mexico's history devastated the whole Mexican capital. Domingo's aunt, uncle, his nephew and his nephew’s young son were killed in the collapse of the Nuevo León apartment block in the Tlatelolco housing complex. Domingo himself labored to rescue survivors. During the next year, he did benefit concerts for the victims and released an album of one of the events.
In 1966, he sang the title role in the US premiere of Ginastera's Don Rodrigo at the New York City Opera, with much acclaim. He first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on September 28, 1968, in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, singing with Renata Tebaldi. (Since then, he has opened the season there 21 times, surpassing the previous record of Enrico Caruso by four.) He made his debut at the Vienna State Opera in 1967, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago in 1968, at both La Scala and San Francisco Opera in 1969, and at Covent Garden in 1971, and has now sung at practically every other important opera house and festival worldwide.
Perhaps the most versatile of all living tenors, Domingo has sung 92 roles onstage to date (and as many as 123 roles when also counting recorded roles), ranging from Mozart to Ginastera. His main repertoire however is Italian (Otello, Il Trovatore, Don Carlo), French (Faust, Werther, Don José in Carmen, Samson in Samson et Dalila), and German (Lohengrin, Parsifal, and Siegmund in Die Walküre). He continues to add more operas to his repertoire, such as recently Franco Alfano's Cyrano de Bergerac at the Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House in London.
With José Carreras and Luciano Pavarotti, he participated in The Three Tenors concert at the opening of the 1990 World Cup in Rome. The event was originally conceived to raise money for the José Carreras International Leukemia Foundation and was later repeated a number of times, including at the three subsequent World Cup finals (1994 in Los Angeles, 1998 in Paris, and 2002 in Yokohama). Alone, Domingo again made an appearance at the final of the 2006 World Cup in Berlin.
In what has been called his 'final career move', Placido Domingo announced on January 25, 2007 that in 2009 he would switch ranges to baritone by taking on one of Verdi's most demanding baritone roles, as the Doge of Genoa, Simon Boccanegra, in the opera of the same name.
My Favorite Things
Plácido Domingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad
In the song "My Favorite Things," Plácido Domingo sings of a list of things that he loves, and whenever he is feeling down, he remembers these things to help him feel better. The first verse of the song describes how raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles, warm woolen mittens, and brown paper packages tied up with strings are just a few of his favorite things. The second verse describes more of his favorite things, including cream-colored ponies, crisp apple strudels, doorbells and sleigh bells, schnitzels with noodles, and wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. Finally, the third verse describes girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes, snowflakes that stay on his nose and eyelashes, and silver white winters that melt into springs. Throughout the song, the refrain is repeated, reminding the listener that when they are feeling sad or upset, they can think of their own favorite things to help them feel better.
Line by Line Meaning
Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
I find joy in small, simple things like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens.
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Objects like bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens bring warmth and comfort to my heart.
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
Even something as simple as a brown paper package tied up with string can bring me happiness.
These are a few of my favorite things
These very things listed are some of my favorite things in life.
Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
I love the beauty of cream colored ponies and the delicious taste of crisp apple strudels.
Door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
From the joyful sounds of door bells to the hearty taste of schnitzel with noodles, these are some of my favorite things.
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
The graceful sight of wild geese flying with the moon on their wings fills me with wonder and admiration.
Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
The beauty and elegance of girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes captivates me.
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
The delicate and fleeting nature of snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes is a precious experience that brings me joy.
Silver white winters that melt into springs
The transition from frigid, silver white winters melting into the fresh and new beginnings of spring is a favorite time of year for me.
When the dog bites
Even when met with unpleasant experiences like being bitten by a dog, I can find comfort in remembering my favorite things.
When the bee stings
Similarly, even when stung by a bee, happy memories of my favorite things can lessen the pain.
When I'm feeling sad
When I'm feeling down and blue, I can always boost my spirits by thinking of my favorite things.
I simply remember my favorite things
By recalling specific things that bring me joy and comfort, I can improve my mood and outlook on life.
And then I don't feel so bad
By focusing on positive experiences and memories, I can lessen negative emotions like sadness and pain.
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC
Written by: Oscar Hammerstein II, Richard Rodgers
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind