If Domingo’s presence was a guarantee of Nabucco ticket sales, it was soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille who ensured the tickets were worth their price. Opera's 2017 production of Nabucco | Credit: Ken Howard/L.A. His lush tone and unbroken legato were the perfect argument for his long career: No one who can still sing like that needs to retire yet! Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille in L.A. All problems vanished for a melting, lyrical “Dio di Giuda!” in act IV. He sometimes resorted to commanding speech-song to smooth over difficulties - an effective choice, particularly in his going-mad scene in the second act. Early in the opera, Domingo’s voice showed signs of wear on his entrances and sustained notes, with the occasional wobble and crack. An elderly father who chews up the stage in his insanity provides great scope for Domingo’s acting talents. He is not uniformly successful in choosing his baritone roles, but this is the best fit I’ve seen. Domingo’s charismatic stage presence and skill in shaping lines with dramatic emphases shine in his Nabucco. That has been unaffected by his age or his ventures into baritone repertoire. Plácido Domingo has always had not just a superb voice, but an unusual gift for expression.

La opera 2017