Painful loss recalled as Domingo prepares for concert in quake city

When he heard about the deadly earthquake that struck Christchurch in February, Placido Domingo was instantly reminded of his own personal tragedy.

The renowned opera singer lost four members of his family in a magnitude-8.1 earthquake in Mexico in 1985, and knewjust how Christchurch people would be feeling.

"Our heart has been, since that day, with you," he told a gathering in Christchurch ahead of a one-off charity concert in the city tonight.

"I'm very happy that I can help you to ease the pain, and together make beautiful music and try for a little while to forget [the earthquakes]," he said.

Domingo, one of The Three Tenors, will perform alongside Welsh opera star Katherine Jenkins in front of a sellout crowd of more than 8000.

The concert has raised $301,588 to help Christchurch's Court Theatre and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra to recover from the effects of the February disaster.

Southern Opera Trust chairman Christopher Doig, who helped to bring Domingo to Christchurch, said it was incredible to have "the greatest singer that the world of opera has ever known" perform in the city.

"To have a hero here reinvesting into the support of this city is hugely important," a tearful Mr Doig said.

Domingo said he always thought of New Zealand as a place where the skies seemed closer than anywhere else.

"One feels like one can touch them."

He also fondly remembers the "lovely reaction of the people" from his first visit in 1992. He planned to see some of the earthquake damage in Christchurch before he left.

Domingo promised a concert "full of emotion and happiness", with a broad range of musical styles. He will be supported by the National Youth Orchestra, and told players yesterday that they were part of the "single most beautiful profession in the world".

Christchurch Symphony Orchestra chairwoman Therese Arseneau said the money from tonight's concert would enable the group to continue to perform for the city.