Tenor Placido Domingo was released from the hospital after spending several days in care.
The tenor immediately held a press conference at the Teatro Real de Madrid with his doctor, Dr. Carlos Gonzalez, where he revealed that he was in rehearsal when he started feeling bad. "I thought I would return from the check-up straight away back to the rehearsal," Domingo said. "But I was told, 'No, there is something serious here.'"
Gonzalez told reporters that a blood clot had formed in Domingo's right leg and moved up to his lungs where it then lodged in his artery. He said the condition was most often linked to spending hours sitting down on long flights and that it was not unusual. The doctor added, "It sounds catastrophic, but it didn't turn out like that. We established an early diagnosis, and there should be a good recovery, a complete and full recovery."
Domingo also revealed that he tried to cancel his upcoming performances of Verdi's "Giovanna d'Arco" at the Salzburg Festival. However, festival coordinators told him that the baritone they planned to replace him with hadn't learned the role. Domingo explained that he studied the role during the five days in the hospital after Salzburg urged him not cancel.
During the conference, Domingo also said that he was sad to miss the upcoming run of Catan's "Il Postino." Domingo said, "I am very sad not to be able to sing in today's dress rehearsal. My doctor has told me that with a degree of caution, everything is still possible. I have been very well looked after."
Domingo has maintained a busy schedule as of late, and will return to the opera stage to perform his role debut as Conte di Luna in sold out performance of Verdi's "Il Trovatore" in Berlin. He is also scheduled to reprise his role as Neptune in "The Enchanted Island" at the Metropolitan Opera.