Placido Domingo at the Sani Festival

“I feel a great responsibility every time I set foot on stage. I feel the obligation to always offer the best to the public,” confesses the man sitting across from me against the backdrop of the endless blue of Halkidiki. These words come from Placido Domingo, a living legend, who ranks among the greatest lyrical performers of all time, with a brilliant career spanning six full decades as a tenor and conductor, continuing to serve the art in which he has left an indelible mark.

The famous Spanish tenor looks nothing like a man who has completed 83 years of life. On the contrary, he remains vigorous, upright, active, charming, and with a great zest for life and creation. This insatiable appetite for life brought him once again to Greece to give not one but two concerts: the one that took place on Saturday night on the magical hill of Sani as part of this year’s Sani Festival, and the one he will share with the other legend of the classical repertoire, José Carreras, on Wednesday, July 10, at Kallimarmaro.

Placido Domingo Enjoys Halkidiki

“I love the colors and flavors of Greece; its people are so bright… This year, I am, for the first time, in another dream place, Sani in Halkidiki. Everything is beautiful. The colors of the day bring calm, and those of the afternoon sunset drip peace, and then we immerse ourselves in nature,” he says with a broad smile during the interview he gave to protothema.gr at the idyllic and welcoming Sani Resort, where he has been staying for the last few days, rehearsing but also trying to soak up every drop of natural beauty that lay before him. After all, as he says, “Happiness lies in the beauty of the small things in everyday life.”

A Life of Travel and Music

No matter that he has traveled around the world, not once but many times, no matter that he has appeared in the greatest opera houses of the world, from the Metropolitan Opera in New York to La Scala in Milan, for him every trip and every concert is a new, valuable experience: “I had the opportunity to perform all over the world, and I am making music my life’s work. I’m happy about that, and sometimes, when I think about everything I’ve achieved during my long career, it seems incredible. On the other hand, I was constantly traveling and away from home, but I was very lucky that my family could often follow me, thanks to the perfect organization and sacrifices of my wife, Marta,” he admits, acknowledging the unlimited support of his devoted partner, who also accompanies him on his trip to our country.

Born in Theater

He considers his involvement in the music scene to be completely natural, as both his parents were singers of zarzuela, the light Spanish opera: “I was almost born in the theater because of this, and it is a very familiar space for me, for which I feel great respect,” he explains while attributing his sweeping success to a combination of characteristics and facts: “For an artist to have a great career, talent is required, but he should also be in the right place at the right time. All the opportunities that life gives you can turn into something important only if you are ready. I had the great opportunity to make my debut at the Metropolitan Opera of New York in 1968, with the opera Adriana Lecouvreur, alongside Renata Tebaldi, replacing the great Franco Corelli. It takes courage, maybe even a little audacity. To stand out, I think you have to have a combination of enthusiasm, humility, and a spirit of sacrifice.”

Never Giving Up

Apart from the above, Placido Domingo has an additional characteristic: he never gives up and does not let difficulties bend him even when they come from his own wrong choices: “Making a mistake is inevitable, just like regretting some of your choices. And mistakes are mistakes if they don’t teach us something. That’s why I think it’s important to have the courage to fall but also to find the strength to get back up more aware than we were before,” he meaningfully underlines.

Placido Domingo’s Performances

Placido Domingo performed at the Sani Festival with Christina Poulitsi and Giorgos Perris, showcasing his enduring talent and passion for music.