The Italian
singer was given just 30 minutes to reach the venue and take the stage when
Domingo succumbed to a cold.
He had no chance to review the score
before his performance in Verdi's Ernani, which went out live on radio.
The 40-year-old
had last sung the role in Rome in December 2013, with conductor Riccardo Muti.
"When you
do something with maestro Muti, after you will remember very well the
score," Salsi said afterwards.
He went on to
play Enrico in the evening performance of Lucia di Lammermoor, becoming one of
only a handful of artists to sing two leading roles in one day.
Recalling the seat-of-your-pants events
of Saturday, Salsi said he was walking around Broadway with his wife when he
received a call from Domingo's son, Alvaro.
"Daddy
doesn't feel very well," he remembered hearing.
Luckily, he was
just nine blocks away from the venue, allowing him to get into costume and have
a brief chat with music director James Levine before walking on stage as Don
Carlo.
"I didn't
have the time to think and be nervous," he said. "Just go and
sing."
Domingo stood in
the wings during the performance to offer encouragement to the performer, who
had never been on the set before.
"I had to
improvise everything," Salsi said.
According to the
Associated Press, the baritone smiled broadly during the curtain call, when the
cast were showered with flowers by the audience.
Domingo later
tweeted his thanks to the singer, accompanied with a photo of the pair
backstage.
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