concert Daniel Barenboim conducts Verdi and Wagner — With Plácido Domingo A Gala Night with the Staatskapelle Berlin

In this extraordinary 1993 gala evening at the Berlin State Opera, the Staatskapelle Berlin and its Music Director (and conductor for life!) Daniel Barenboim invited a host of illustrious soloists to join them in an irresistible program dedicated to two of the biggest names in opera: Wagner and Verdi! The concert opens with excerpts from four of Verdi's major works, featuring one of the foremost experts in the composer's repertoire, Plácido Domingo: the Overture to the Sicilian Vespers, the aria "Ah! Sì, ben moi" from Il Trovatore, the Prelude to Act II and "Lunga da lei" from La Traviata, and — a highlight of the evening — the ballet music and aria "Niun mi tema" from Act IV of Otello, a role that Domingo has sung many times (with more performances recorded on film than any other artist). But the pièce de résistance of this concert is a legendary performance of Act I of Die Walküre, the second part of Wagner's Ring, featuring American soprano Deborah Polaski, a remarkable interpreter of Wagner, and the legendary British bass Sir John Tomlinson.