MUSIC REVIEW : Domingo Sings at Opera Pacific Benefit Concert

Opera Pacific got its pay-back over the weekend for the Los Angeles Music Center Opera encroaching on its turf last summer by staging Puccini’s “La Fanciulla del West” at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

As the appropriate artistic power brokers agreed then, in an atmosphere of avowed public bonhomie, Placido Domingo, artistic consultant for the Los Angeles company, would give a benefit concert for the Orange County home team sometime in the future.

Domingo is enough of a celebrity to sell out the local house, even with a top-ticket price of $300 (which included dinner with the tenor after the concert), when he made good on the promise Sunday at the earlyish hour of 5 p.m.

Curiously, the biography of Domingo printed in the program booklet omitted mention of his consultant duties at LAMCO. . . .

As part of the concert, Domingo brought along his soprano protege, Ann Panagulias. Veteran Houston Grand Opera conductor John DeMain led the scruffy Opera Pacific Orchestra, which looked like a thinned-out Pacific Symphony. (DeMain also is conducting Puccini’s “Tosca,” which opens Friday, for Opera Pacific.)

It took a while for Domingo’s golden throat to open up, but open up it did, sounding at its best big, well-oiled, rich and warm. But he did break on a note in “E lucevan le stelle” from Puccini’s “Tosca,” suffered dry patches in the Cherry Duet from Mascagni’s “L’Amico Fritz” and often showed worrisome constriction in approaching--but not in reaching--the heights.

He sang generously, but avoided certain challenges, cutting the cabaletta from Alfredo’s “De’ miei bollenti spiriti” (from Verdi’s “La Traviata”) and singing just one (“Fra poco a me ricovero”) of Edgar’s two big arias in the Tomb Scene of Donizetti’s “Lucia de Lammermoor.”

Domingo’s excursions into the bel-canto repertory, which also included excerpts from Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore,” did not reveal ideal flexibility and openness of line. His best vocalism came in more weighty vocal repertory, but included several songs from Spanish zarzuelas.

Panagulias was 26 when she scored a big, if mixed, hit in 1989 singing the title role of Berg’s “Lulu” in San Francisco. (She turned 29 on Monday.)

Her singing here revealed similar strengths and weaknesses. She sang with accuracy, warmth and point. But her smallish soprano frequently evaporated in Segerstrom Hall, she inclined toward slow, dragged-out tempos (“O mio babino caro” from Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi” and Musetta’s Waltz Song from the “La Boheme”), and overall she revealed little distinctive dramatic personality.

DeMain also made a mixed impression. But from earlier experiences listening to him, one wondered if here there had been simply insufficient rehearsal time.

He followed attentively, but generally seemed straitjacketed and rigid. He worked hard but not with complete success to invigorate the Intermezzo from Gimenez’ “La Boda de Luis Alonso.” But the overtures to Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” and Rossini’s “Il Viaggio a Reims” felt heavy and flat.

For all that, a deliriously delighted audience opted to bring Domingo back for five encores (Panagulias got one of her own), including the “Libiamo” from Verdi’s “La Traviata.”

When Domingo invited the audience to sing along with him and Panagulias in Verdi’s famous drinking song, a soprano voice soared out from the orchestra section of seats. It was Carol Neblett, one of two Toscas singing for Opera Pacific this season and one of two Minnies who sang opposite Domingo in “Fanciulla.”