Plácido Domingo to appear in Woody Allen’s Puccini production

28 January 2015, 12:20 | Updated: 28 January 2015, 17:32

The legendary opera singer will appear in movie director's production of Puccini’s 'Gianni Schicchi' this September in Los Angeles.

Domingo – who has shifted from singing tenor roles to performing baritone parts recently – will take the title role in Puccini’s one-act opera, which features the well-loved aria, 'O mio babbino caro'.

Allen’s production of the work was first staged at Los Angeles Opera in 2008. In the 2015/16 season – which marks LA Opera’s 30th anniversary – the revival of the opera will appear in an evening double bill with Leoncavallo’s work Pagliacci, in a production by Franco Zeffirelli.

After performing in Puccini’s opera each evening, Domingo will head over to the podium to conduct Pagliacci.

Other singers appearing in Puccini’s short opera include Arturo Chacón-Cruz and Andriana Chuchman.

Domingo, who is also general director of LA Opera said: "We have crafted a season full of audience favourites, and I am especially looking forward to the opportunity to both sing and conduct in our season-opening double bill of Gianni Schicchi and Pagliacci."

Woody Allen on Classic FM

In 2006, ahead of the release of his film Matchpoint, Woody Allen came into Classic FM and talked to Anne-Marie Minhall about the use of classical music and opera in his films, and working outside of the Hollywood system. Click on the arrow below to listen again to this fascinating interview.