One of the world’s most renowned tenors, Plácido Domingo, along with his frequent collaborators Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras, is largely responsible for the increasing mainstream popularity of opera among contemporary listeners. In 1966, Domingo created the title role in the U.S. premiere of Ginastera’s Don Rodrigo at the New York City Opera; his Metropolitan Opera debut followed two years later, appearing as Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur. In the years to follow, Domingo’s stature continued to grow on the strength of regular performances at all of the world’s most famed opera houses. With over 100 recordings to his credit, he performed with sopranos, including Rosalind Plowright, Katria Ricciarelli, and Montserrat Caballe; in 1981, Domingo also made an unexpected foray into pop music, recording the duet “Perhaps Love” with John Denver and in the process scoring a Top 20 hit. While remaining best known as an operatic performer, he subsequently enjoyed parallel success with his recordings of traditional Spanish love songs; however, his greatest popularity came as one of the Three Tenors, a trio also including Pavarotti and Carreras whose albums and live concert videos enjoyed mainstream success not enjoyed by operatic recordings in many decades. Domingo continues to tour all over the world.
