Spanish tenor Placido Domingo makes Macao debut

World-renowned Spanish operatic tenor Placido Domingo, together with his hand-picked sopranos, presented the concert "Domingo and Macao Orchestra" here on Saturday evening.

Domingo, accompanied by sopranos Virginia Tola and Micaela Oeste, staged a gala comprising operas, musicals operettas and Spanish zarzuelas.

Domingo and the two sopranos sang the song "Song of Seven Sons" together with the Macao Youth Choir, which pushed the show to a climax. About 1,100 spectators rewarded the singers with long and warm applause at the end of the concert.

Domingo expressed his special feeling for Macao: "After singing for so many, many years, for me it is truly exciting to sing in one place for the first time. I think the public has a right to find out, and even if people have heard the records or who have seen me on television, here many people will probably hear me the first time and the most important is to be in very good shape and feel some kind of connection," he told reporters before the concert.

Until now, the 74-year-old singer has played over 146 different opera roles in thousands of performances.

"It's wonderful to work with young people, I have been learning quite a lot so I can pass something from generation to generation, " he said, noting that he would like to nurture young artists when he doesn't perform on stage.

Domingo is well known for his versatile and strong voice. Possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range, he is hailed as one of the world's three top-class tenors, with Luciano Pavarotti, who died from cancer in 2007 and Jose Carreras, who also comes from Spain. Endi