[ad_1]
NEW YORK (AP) – The Metropolitan Opera announced Tuesday that Placido Domingo had agreed to withdraw from the list of concerts scheduled at the Opera following accusations of sexual harassment brought by several women in two articles of the United States. Associated Press. The legend of the opera indicated that it would never happen again at the Met.
Domingo was to play the lead role in the premiere of Verdi's "Macbeth" season Wednesday night, which would have been his first performance in the United States since the AP reported that many women accused him of inappropriate behavior, including a soprano who said that he caught his bare chest.
The Met had been under increasing pressure to cancel Domingo's planned six appearances, but general manager Peter Gelb rehearsed to the performers after a dress rehearsal on Saturday that the opera was awaiting the results of LA Opera's investigations, where Domingo has been managing director since 2003, and the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union that represents various opera personnel.
Domingo, who had been singing in rehearsal, issued a statement claiming that his career at the Met was over after what the company had announced being 706 performances as a singer, plus 169 as an orchestra conductor.
"I made my debut at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 27 and have sung in this magnificent theater for 51 consecutive and glorious years," said the star. "Although I strongly disagree with the recent allegations made about me and I am concerned about the climate in which people are condemned without due process, I believe that my appearance in this production of" Macbeth "would deter hard work of my wife. colleagues on stage and behind the scenes.
"As a result, I asked to withdraw," he added, "and I thank the management of the Met for having graciously granted my request.I am happy that at age 78, I I was able to sing the marvelous main role of the Macbeth dress rehearsal, which I consider my last performance on the Met stage. "
In his statement, the Met said that the long-time Spanish superstar had "agreed to withdraw from all future performances of the Met, from now on".
Gelb sent an email to Met staff saying, "We are grateful to him for recognizing that he had to withdraw."
The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Opera and Dallas Opera have previously canceled the upcoming concerts featuring Domingo after the publication of AP articles. But his reception was very different in Europe, where he received long ovations after Verdi's "Luisa Miller" concerts at the Salzburg Festival in Austria on August 25 and 31, just weeks after AP's first story.
Patricia Wulf, one of Domingo's accusers, called Domingo's withdrawal from the Met "such a relief."
"I have the impression that we have accomplished something," said Wulf, who accused Domingo of having harassed her several times during performances at the Washington Opera House at the time. late 1990s, while he was general manager of the company.
"The Met finally took the lead and made the right decision," she told the AP.
In addition to announcing the withdrawal of Domingo, Gelb said that the Met suspended the tenor Vittorio Grigolo pending the results of an investigation opened Tuesday by the Royal Opera of London, allegedly involved in a September 18 incident after singing the title. role in Gounod's "Faust" touring Tokyo.
Grigolo, 42, was scheduled to sing six performances of Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata at the Met in February and March. He did not immediately respond to an email requesting a comment.
The Met's conductor, James Levine, was fired in March 2018, as a result of an investigation by a law firm retained by the company. Levine, musical director of the company from 1976 to 2016, was musical director emeritus at the time and denied the charges. He filed a complaint of breach of contract and defamation that was settled last month.
Domingo made his Met debut in September 1968 and is known to many beyond the opera for his performances as part of the Three Tenors with Luciano Pavarotti and José Carreras. Singing well beyond the retirement age of most singers, he turned to baritone in 2009, expanding his repertoire to more than 150 roles.
Domingo's next performance is in Verdi's "Nabucco" at the Zurich Opera on 13 October. He is not supposed to sing in the United States before Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux" at the Los Angeles Opera, which opens on February 22.
Zeljko Lucic will replace him for the three performances of "Macbeth" at the Met. Domingo had also scheduled four performances as Sharpless in Puccini's "Madama Butterfly" at the Met in November.
Before Domingo's withdrawal, the senator from New York State, whose district includes the opera, had demanded his dismissal.
"I believe they have an obligation to maintain their top performers, as they are one of the most important cultural institutions in the world," said Brad Hoylman, Democrat. "They should think not only about his celebrity and his star power, but also about the 20 women who would have complained. The Met has an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of its employees and I am concerned that, if they do not take action on this, it may discourage future employees from making themselves known. "
___
Associated Press editors Jocelyn Gecker and Jocelyn Noveck contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link