The Essential Placido Domingo

It's hard to walk through the classical section of a record store without tripping over several Placido Domingo compilations, so buyers can afford to be picky when choosing one. Any respectable account of his career needs to represent his place in the pantheon of great operatic voices, but also the unparalleled range and diversity of his work outside of that arena. Finally, it needs to home in on the tenor's best work, since the sheer volume and diversity of his discography make it less consistent than those of less ambitious singers. Sony's The Essential Placido Domingo succeeds admirably on the first two counts, and well enough on the last to make it a worthy first choice among the many collections on the market. With the exception of Puccini's rarely heard song, "Sole e amore," which sneaks in as one of the most affecting performances on the entire collection, and "Von der Jugend" from Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde, which reminds us that Domingo is one of the very few superstar tenors to venture into German repertory at all, disc one is devoted entirely to Domingo's operatic work. The variety of selections, ranging from Donizetti to Richard Strauss, gives as good an overview of his range and dramatic qualities as can be accomplished in 18 tracks, and the recordings are of consistently high quality. Only "Ingemisco" from Verdi's Requiem, on which Domingo resorts to a disjointed falsetto in soft passages, and "Di quella pira" from Il Trovatore, in which he sounds off-balance and never quite centered, fall short of the tenor's usual high standards. Highlights include "Ch'ella mi creda libero e lontano" from La fanciulla del West, "Una furtive lagrima" from L'elisir d'amore, and the charming "Apri la tua finestra!" from Mascagni's Iris. The first is simply one of the best performances of that aria on record, benefiting from Domingo's baritonal warmth and fluid delivery; the second reminds that, while Domingo has never been ideally suited to the clean-lined world of Donizetti, he can reign in his natural expansiveness and get right to the heart of a character; and the third captures Domingo playing wonderfully to type as the serenading lover. Most importantly, this first disc showcases the brilliance and color of one of opera's most distinctive and resilient voices -- one that has retained its beauty well into the tenor's golden years. The second disc is devoted to zarzuela, Spanish songs, and different crossover projects. Domingo grew up around zarzuela, and he certainly sounds born to it in selections from Serrano's El Trust de los Tenorios and La Dolorosa, and Amadeo Vives' Dona Francisquita. The Spanish songs are equally magnificent, further bolstering the notion that singers are almost always at their best in their native languages. The crossover tracks are a mixed bag, the appeal of which will probably depend on how hardcore a Domingo fan one really is. His accent is actually an asset when singing "Dulcinea" and "The Impossible Dream" from Man of La Mancha, given that the character is a Spanish noblemen; he also immerses himself in the style fluidly enough to make them genuinely moving expressions of idealism. But West Side Story's "Maria" is even less credibly American than Jose Carrerras' fabled version from the 1980s. "Perhaps Love," a duet with John Denver, has touching moments and sentimental appeal. The heavily synthesized "Love Came for Me" and "A Love Until the End of Time" have a high cheese quotient, but they are undeniably easy listening. ~ Allen Schrott, Rovi