Gesticulating and breaking into spine-tingling arias, a jovial Placido Domingo coached young opera singers vying for their big break while perched on a stool in a rehearsal room at London’s Royal Opera House. Frenchman Julien Behr greeted him with a ‘Buenos dias!’ before practising an aria with the legendary Spanish tenor for Sunday’s final of the Operalia competition, being held in the British capital for the first time. ‘It’s about emotion. Really in the emotion. And there’s more joy too!’ Domingo told Behr, putting his hand to his heart, as he described the scene in Charles Gounod’s ‘Faust’ in which the hero realises he is in love. ‘You have to do it more naturally,’ said the bearded 74-year-old — one of the famous Three Tenors who performed concerts at four World Cup finals along with Jose Carreras and the late Luciano Pavarotti. Behr, who has performed with the Opera National de Paris, nods dutifully to the

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