Placido Domingo tries out Verdi baritone role, but he still sounds like a tenor

Placido Domingo tries out Verdi baritone role

BERLIN — The notes were all there. The voice had its familiar warm and muscular sound. The technique remains rock-solid. And yet …

It seems that no amount of hard work or willpower could transform Placido Domingo into the baritone for whom Verdi wrote the title role of his opera “Simon Boccanegra.”

That gradually became apparent on Saturday night as the legendary tenor realized a long-held dream by singing his first-ever performance as the 14th century Doge of Genoa in a new production at Berlin’s Staatsoper Unter den Linden.

Despite his determined efforts to darken his tone and give added weight to the lower register, there’s little Domingo could do about the natural placement of his voice. When a baritone punches out the high notes in the great Council Chamber scene, for instance, the pressure of the voice reaching upward to the edge of its comfort zone makes them thrilling; for Domingo, they were almost too easy.

At the other end, he managed some imposing low notes when he was able to focus carefully; but in passages that called for him to dip down suddenly, the sound was noticeably thinner. Both in his duet with his long-lost daughter, Amelia, in Act 1 and in the trio joined by her fiance, Gabriele Adorno, in Act 2, Domingo’s vocal line got swallowed up by the others.

Dramatically he is well-suited to the character, who starts the opera as a young sailor, ages 25 years by the second scene and has to exhibit both political leadership and paternal tenderness. Add to that a death by slow-acting poison, and it’s ready-made for an actor of Domingo’s considerable skill.

On Saturday night, he exuded a mostly generic weary grandeur but no doubt was preoccupied with the vocal challenges. He’ll have time to grow into the role interpretively, since this is far from a one-time event. After five more Berlin performances through Nov. 13, Domingo will reprise the role in New York, London, Zurich, Milan and Madrid.

Domingo has said he recognizes he can’t turn himself into a baritone, but the lure of this role has been strong — and opera managers are loath to deny a figure of his stature the indulgence. Plus, his performances around the world regularly sell out.

At 68, age has reduced his tenor range, and that in turn has restricted his repertoire. Most of the roles he now sings are at the fringes of the mainstream, like the title role in Alfano’s “Cyrano de Bergerac” or the Turkish sultan Bajazet in Handel’s “Tamerlano.” ”Simon Boccanegra” offers a chance to perform a touchstone role of the operatic repertory, and, let’s face it, there aren’t a lot of baritones on the scene right now who can triumph in the part.

For the occasion, the Staatsoper surrounded him with a strong cast.

Soprano Anja Harteros sang a lovely Amelia, with a warm, limpid sound and exquisite soft high notes. Only early on did she betray a bit of harshness at the top of her register. Tenor Fabio Sartori was a booming, bright-voiced Gabriele. Bass Kwanchul Youn, as Boccanegra’s sworn enemy Fiesco, sang smoothly, but his sound is too soft-grained for maximum impact in the role. As the villainous Paolo, bass-baritone Hanno Mueller-Brachmann stole every scene he was in with his potent voice and charisma. Daniel Barenboim conducted the Staatskapelle Berlin in a glowing account of the somber score.

To be sure, the sound of Domingo’s voice — even miscast — ringing out at full cry in an opera house is something to be treasured, especially now that he is cheating time with every performance. So it was natural that the first-night audience responded with foot-stomping enthusiasm and curtain calls for him and his fellow performers that lasted 20 minutes.

The reception was far more mixed when director Federico Tiezzi brought out his production team. Yes, they boo in Berlin, too. Perhaps it was the drab sets, the ridiculous crashing wave that kept appearing on a rear projection during the final scene, or Tiezzi’s lack of dramatic insight into the characters’ motivations.

Whatever the case, catcalls from the balcony threatened to drown out polite applause from below and led to a hasty exit for the production team. The ovations continued for the performers.

On the net: www.staatsoper-berlin.org/