Plasido Domingo and Jose Carreras will reunite on stage in Riga, offering audiences a rare chance to see two members of the legendary Three Tenors project. According to concert organizers Wintour Group International, the performance will feature a symphony orchestra led by Spanish conductor David Gimenez and a choir of more than 100 singers performing famous opera arias and duets.
The Legacy of the Three Tenors
The upcoming Riga concert marks a notable reunion for the project that brought opera out of traditional theaters and reached millions of listeners worldwide. On July 7, 1990, on the eve of the FIFA World Cup final, Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Luciano Pavarotti performed together for the first time at the Baths of Caracalla in Rome, with conductor Zubin Mehta on the podium. That inaugural concert launched the Three Tenors phenomenon, combining traditional opera with large-scale staging.
The recorded album from that Rome performance became a commercial juggernaut. According to Guinness World Records data, sales for the “In Concert” album reached 10.5 million copies, establishing it as the most commercially successful classical music album in the world. Following the 1990 event, the trio reunited for subsequent concerts tied to the FIFA World Cup tournaments in Los Angeles in 1994, Paris in 1998, and Yokohama in 2002.
Individual Careers and Musical Milestones
Jose Carreras built an international career centered on Italian and French opera, earning acclaim for his work across Verdi, Puccini, Bizet, and verismo repertoire. In 1987, at the peak of his career, Carreras faced a leukemia diagnosis. Following treatment, he returned to the stage and established the Jose Carreras International Leukemia Foundation in 1988 to support medical research and patient care.
Placido Domingo has maintained a central role in international music for over five decades as a singer, conductor, opera administrator, and mentor. His repertoire spans more than 150 roles, encompassing tenor and baritone parts across Verdi, Puccini, and Wagner works. Alongside more than four thousand performances and concert appearances, Domingo founded the Operalia international competition to discover and launch young singers. His contributions have earned him Grammy, Latin Grammy, and Emmy awards.
Prior Performances in Latvia
Both artists maintain established ties to Latvian audiences through previous appearances. Placido Domingo visited Riga in 2022 to attend the finals of the Operalia competition at the Latvian National Opera, and performed at the Dzintari Concert Hall in the summer alongside Latvian singer Kristine Opolais. Jose Carreras previously performed a solo concert at the Latvian National Opera in 1998.
Wintour Group International organizers state that the upcoming production will utilize a symphony orchestra, a large choir, and grand stage design to deliver a production-scale experience suited to the legacy of both performers.