Plácido Domingo is an old warrior of a tenor, and Claudio Abbado is an old warrior of a conductor. They both have new discs out — and we’ll begin with the tenor.

He was born in a trunk, so to speak. His parents were zarzuela singers, and ran a zarzuela company. Mr. Domingo has long paid homage to this tradition. And his latest disc is called “Pasión Española.” (The label is Deutsche Grammophon.)

The CD consists of coplas, which are different from zarzuelas. The distinction will be unimportant to most. In any case, the CD’s liner notes say that the copla, the zarzuela, and the flamenco form “the three-pronged spear of recent Spanish popular music.”

Mr. Domingo sings his songs beautifully. The “ageless Spaniard” is very much himself, which is to say, a warm, passionate baritonal tenor. Sometimes his intonation is iffy, but we can forgive this and other flaws. Moreover, it’s a pleasure to hear him sing in his native tongue.

And, though these coplas are not exactly Brahms lieder — no contender for immortality — Mr. Domingo sings them with obvious heart and commitment. No sense touching them unless you’re going to sing them that way.

He is accompanied by an orchestra — the Orquesta de la Comunidad de Madrid, conducted by Miguel Roa. The arrangements are sometimes soupy and cheesy. But that is par for the course on an album like this. Domingo fans will have to have it — and so will many others.

Mr. Domingo honors, not only this Spanish tradition, but the tradition of offering songs from your home soil. Caruso gave us Neapolitan numbers, Flagstad gave us Norwegian ones — this tradition is actually one of the best parts of the whole singing business.* * *

Claudio Abbado is in an interesting stage of his career. He used to conduct grand and glorious orchestras, such as the Berlin Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony. Now, he tends to conduct smaller orchestras, of his own formation.

One such ensemble is the Orchestra Mozart, which came into being in 2004: in order to be ready for the big Mozart year of 2006. (In that year, you recall, we celebrated the composer’s 250th birthday.) The orchestra sprang from the Accademia Filarmonica in Bologna. And now we have a two-CD set (from Archiv Produktion): the Orchestra Mozart performing five Mozart symphonies.

It is a nice little bouquet of symphonies. There are two “name” symphonies in D major: No. 35, the “Haffner,” and No. 38, the “Prague.” And there is the Symphony No. 29 in A major, which has no nickname, but which is great nonetheless. Is there a more beautiful piece of music? And is there one that radiates more happiness?

We also have the Symphony No. 33 in B flat — a rather underknown and underplayed work. If you are unacquainted, get to know it when you can. It’s Mozart, after all. The slow movement is brief, poignant, and lovely. And the last movement is filled with wit and rhythmic imagination.

Finally, there is Mozart’s terminal symphony, No. 41, the “Jupiter.” Mozart was going ever higher. Can you imagine if he had been given time to write 104 symphonies, as Haydn did?

But enough with idle questions. Mr. Abbado is a good Mozartean. These performances — which are live, by the way — are sensible and spirited. The orchestra’s sound is adequate. Their articulation is excellent. And they seem to be glad to be playing under their chief.

Mr. Abbado is often stringent in his Mozart, but not nuts — not fanatical. He remembers to be musical, as well as “correct.” And his pleasure in the composer is obvious. I will note just a couple of details.

The last movement of the A-major symphony is a thrill to listen to — loaded with brio, positively quivering. And the opening of the “Prague” has the right grandeur and breadth.

You cannot approve of all movements, of course. For example, I think the slow movement of the “Prague” — that miracle — should be more angelic. But Mr. Abbado is reliable.

And there is something special about an older person’s Mozart, you may agree. He was such a young composer. And when senior musicians tackle him — and bask in him – the results can be, as I said, special.

Do you remember Artur Rubinstein’s quip? “Mozart is too easy for children and too hard for adults.” But he is not too hard for Mr. Abbado, thankfully.

Let me close this review by criticizing something he says in an interview — a Q&A published in the new set’s liner notes. Mr. Abbado says, “When I started conducting, George Szell’s approach was considered cutting-edge. It’s amazing to see just how much more advanced and informed the conception of Mozart is nowadays.”

Maestro, forget musicology: No one ever had a more advanced or informed conception of Mozart than George Szell. Come on.