The opera legend embarks on his first exclusive collaboration with a label in 40 years.

After pinching Lang Lang from Deutsche Grammophon lat year for a purported $3-million contract, Sony has wooed another of the world’s most influential classical artists: Plácido Domingo. On the even of his Australian tour, the Spanish tenor/baritone has signed an exclusive recording contract with Sony Classical, the label announced.

The new partnership brings Domingo full circle: during the 1960s he launched his recording career with CBS, a company purchased by Sony in the late 1980s.

Although the label is tight-lipped about repertoire at this stage, it is anticipated that forthcoming releases will celebrate Domingo’s newfound gifts as a baritone, a part of his voice that he has embraced in several operas in the years leading up to his 70th birthday and that has extended his role count to a record 137.

“Sony and its predecessors (Columbia, CBS, RCA/BMG) have played such an important part in much of my career, yet I have not had an exclusive contract with any company in nearly 40 years,” Domingo said of the alliance. “This steady relationship will enable Sony Classical and myself to create a variety of new, innovative, and...