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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 Associated Press articles. The legend of the opera, which disputed the allegations, said 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 had him. accused of inappropriate behavior, including a soprano. who said that he caught his bare chest.
The Met had been under increasing pressure to cancel the Domingo appearances, but general manager Peter Gelb repeated to the performers after a dress rehearsal on Saturday that the opera was awaiting the results of LA Opera's investigations, where Domingo is director General since 2003, American Guild of Musical Artists, the union that represents various members of the opera staff.
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 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 my wife's hard work, colleagues on stage and behind the scenes.
"As a result, I asked to withdraw," he added, "and I thank the leaders of the Met for graciously granting my request, and I am happy to have been able to sing at 78. years, the wonderful lead role in the rehearsal of "Macbeth", 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 e-mail to the Met's staff telling him: "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.
Angela Turner Wilson, the singer who allowed the AP to use her name to accuse Domingo of taking her from his chest, said she was "relieved" by the Met's action , but criticized Gelb for having previously asserted that the opera could not act without corroborated evidence. that all the accusers of Domingo were anonymous. She described Gelb's remarks as "major concerns for me and many others who want to see the current culture of sexual harassment and retaliation removed from our industry.
Another Domingo accuser, Patricia Wulf, also called the withdrawal of 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 did what was needed," 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 to perform 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 allegations. 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. He sang 21 opening nights at the Met, breaking the previous record of Enrico Caruso, who had 17.
Domingo's next performance will take place on October 13 at Verdi's "Nabucco" at the Zurich Opera House. He should not sing in the United States before Donizetti's "Roberto Devereux" at the Los Angeles Opera, which opens on February 22.
Zeljko Lucic, originally scheduled for later in the race, will replace Domingo and perform the six 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 the state of New York, whose district includes the opera, had called for his dismissal.
"I think they have an obligation to keep their interpreters at a high level, as they are one of the most important cultural institutions in the world," said Brad Hoylman. , a democrat. "They should think not only about her celebrity and her star power, but also about the 20 women who would have complained, and the Met has an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of her employees. do not react, it may discourage future employees from making themselves known. "
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