Nonetheless, many in the classical period deemed cheers and boos important indicators of success. The success of an opera cannot be judged merely by the loudness of applause received at its performance. That set the longest applause in world history, but the record was beaten 13 years later by Dustin Luke Nelson, outlasting Plácido Domingo’s performance by 50 more minutes at his performance at the Walker Art Center's Open Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.įact 2: Claques were hired to applaud at opera performances On Jwhen Giuseppe Verdi’s Otello was on show in Vienna, Plácido Domingo played the title role and yielded a standing ovation that lasted for an incredible duration of 1 hour and 10 minutes. The title of the world’s longest applause used to belong to Plácido Domingo, a Spanish opera singer. This fact is getting a little bit tricky here. So here are six little-known fun facts about operas that you would surely be interested in.įact 1: Plácido Domingo set the world record for the longest applause in an opera

But of course no one likes to read boring articles about the 400-year-old history of opera in Hong Kong and the rest of the world.

Do you know… the record for the world’s longest applause? That opera composers used to hire professional applauders at their live performances? And that some male opera singers had their testicles removed for the sake of preserving their soprano voices? These are issues pertinent to the development of operas in the past and present days.

Sydney opera house fun facts