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.
O sole mio
Plácido Domingo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
N'aria serena doppo na tempesta
Pe' ll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole
Ma n'atu sole
Cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'O sole mio
'O sole, 'o sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
Sta 'nfronte a te
Ma n'atu sole
Cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'O sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
'O sole, 'o sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
Sta 'nfronte a te
In Placido Domingo's song “O Sole Mio,” he is celebrating a beautiful, sunny day. The first stanza praises a beautiful day and the peacefulness that comes with it after a storm. The fresh air and feeling of celebration are palpable, adding to the joyous atmosphere. In the second stanza, the singer exclaims that the only thing that could make the day more beautiful is if another sun were present. This is an expression of love and infatuation as the "sun" represents the object of the singer's affections. He proclaims his love and devotion to them and how they are the most beautiful thing in the world to him. The repetition of "sta 'nfronte a te" reinforces the idea that the singer is declaring his love directly to this person and his adoration for them.
Overall, this song is a love letter to a sunny day and to the singer's beloved. The imagery is bright and cheerful, and the tone is full of passion and devotion. The upbeat tempo, charming melody, and passionate lyrics make this song an enduring classic.
Line by Line Meaning
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole
How beautiful is a day with sunshine.
N'aria serena doppo na tempesta
Clear air after a storm.
Pe' ll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa
With the fresh air, it seems like a celebration.
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole
How beautiful is a day with sunshine.
Ma n'atu sole
But there is another sun.
Cchiu' bello, oi ne'
More beautiful, don't you think?
'O sole mio
My sun.
Sta 'nfronte a te
It's in front of you.
'O sole, 'o sole mio
My sun, my sun.
Sta 'nfronte a te
It's in front of you.
Sta 'nfronte a te
It's in front of you.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Tratore
Written by: Eduardo Di Capua, Afredo Mazzucchi, Giovanni Capurro
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
O Sole Mio ( My Sun )
Placido Domingo
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole
N'aria serena doppo na tempesta
Pe' ll'aria fresca pare gia' na festa
Che bella cosa na jurnata 'e sole
Ma n'atu sole
Cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'O sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
‘O sole, ‘o sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
Sta 'nfronte a te
Lùcene 'e llastre d'a fenesta toia
'Na lavannara canta e se ne vanta
E pe' tramente torce, spanne e canta
Lùcene 'e llastre d'a fenesta toia
Ma n'atu sole
Cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'O sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
‘O sole, ‘o sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
Sta 'nfronte a te
Quanno fa notte e 'o sole
Se ne scenne
Me vene quase 'na malincunia
Sotto 'a fenesta toia restarria
Quanno fa notte e 'o sole
Se ne scenne
Ma n'atu sole
Cchiu' bello, oi ne'
'O sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
‘O sole, ‘o sole mio
Sta 'nfronte a te
Sta 'nfronte a te
What a wonderful thing a sunny day
The cool air after a thunderstorm
The fresh breezes banish the heavy air
What a wonderful thing a sunny day
But another sun
That's brighter still
It's my own sun
That's in your face
The sun, my own sun
It's in your face
It's in your face
Shining is the glass from your window
A washwoman is singing and bragging
Wringing and hanging laundry and singing
Shining is the glass from your window
But another sun
That's brighter still
It's my own sun
That's in your face
The sun, my own sun
It's in your face
It's in your face
When night comes and the sun
Has gone down
I start feeling blue
I'd stay below your window
When night comes and the sun
Has gone down
But another sun
That's brighter still
It's my own sun
That's in your face
The sun, my own sun
It's in your face
It's in your face
Written by: NICK PATRICK, NICHOLAS DODD, EDUARDO DI CAPUA, GIOVANNI CAPURRO
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
@grandizer4531
Placido is the GOAT
@salvadordelatorre4817
Placido Domingo seguirá siendo para mí el mejor intérprete de óperas
@edcar3042
la grandeza de este cantante esta mas allá de la potencia de su voz, el sentimiento que transmite al interpretar solo nos deja ver un poquito de la inmensa majestad lleva dentro PLACIDO DOMINGO (DOMINICUS el dia del Señor)
@NaurozNoahTanya
I saw Placido Domingo live in Toronto at 70 year old, he was a legend among us
@shirleyrombough8173
Nauroz (Noah) Tanya. How lucky you were to see him live. That is my fondest hope.
@edwardlazarus9134
I can hardly believe that I prefer Domingo to Pavarotti when it comes to O Sole Mio. I just listened to this....and a half dozen other versions....including Caruso and Lanza. Every one of them wonderful to listen to....but for me...it's Domingo. Just perfection!
@EduardoRCeniza
La versión de Plácido Domingo de "O Sole Mio" para mí es la mejor interpretación de todos los tiempos.
@maximus1295
Deaf fan!
@comandantediablo8840
Para ti...
@PragueImport
estoy totalmente de acuerdo contigo