The Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo received this recognition from the public for one hour and twenty minutes on July 30, 1991, after performing Verdi's Othello at the Vienna State Opera. That triumphant night, the great singer from Madrid had to return to the Opera stage a total of 101 times . He thus broke the record held by his Italian colleague Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007), applauded for 67 minutes after his 1968 performance in The Elixir of Love , Gaetano Donizetti's comic opera, at the Berlin opera. Then the curtain was raised 165 times.
However, it should be noted that Plácido Domingo's record is accompanied in The Guinness Book of Records by another very long standing ovation recorded two years ago, albeit intentionally in that case. On June 26, 2014, American poet and performer Dustin Luke Nelson got viewers clapping their hands for two hours straight at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis . Actually, it was an action included in a montage by the artist.
As the longest spontaneous applause, then, the one dedicated to Plácido Domingo continues. Our most recognized tenor received another 32 minutes in Spain on July 28, 2010 . Fans of bel canto thus acclaimed his performance in the opera Simón Boccanegra, also by Verdi, at the Teatro Real in Madrid .
