Plácido Domingo Hospitalized

Tenor diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

Plácido Domingo in the title role of Rigoletto in Mantua.Film still © 2011 Emerging Pictures.

According to a story on Norman Lebrecht's classical music blog Slipped Disc, 72-year old tenor-turned-baritone Plácido Domingo is in a Madrid hospital with a pulmonary embolism.



The condition forced Mr. Domingo to cancel his upcoming appearances in composer Daniel Catan's opera Il Postino at the Teatro Réal.

This is the second major medical emergency for the world-famous singer this decade. In 2010, Mr. Domingo was hospitalized with a bout of colon cancer.

From Wikipedia: "A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by a substance that has travelled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). PE most commonly results from deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in the deep veins of the legs or pelvis) that breaks off and migrates to the lung, a process termed venous thromboembolism (VTE)."

VTE's are often accelerated by heavy air travel, an unfortunate ecessity in Mr. Domingo's hectic international schedule. In recent years, Mr. Domingo has managed the Los Angeles Opera, made various appearances as a conductor and stewardship of Operalia, his very own competition for up-and-coming singers. He also continues to sing, with a current focus on Verdi baritone roles such as Simon Boccanegra, Germont, and Rigoletto.

According to Mr. Domingo's representative Nancy Seltzer, doctors have asked the singer to rest and heal for three to four weeks.  His return to performing is contingent on how fast he regains his strength.

The Associated Press has further details on the story. There is also Spanish-language on-site reporting from the Madrid newspaper El Pais.

This is the second major medical emergency for the world-famous singer this decade. In 2010, Mr. Domingo was hospitalized with a bout of colon cancer. We at Superconductor express our hopes for a quick and speedy recovery for Mr. Domingo. After all, (as Mr. Lebrecht points out) Luciano Pavarotti only lived to the age of 71.