NAPLES, Italy (AP) – Opera legend Plácido Domingo denies ever abusing power during his tenure at two US opera houses in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, as he embarks on a full throttle campaign to clear his name after two investigations found credible allegations that he had been in the ‘unfavorable attitude and behavior’ with multiple women over a period of decades.
Domingo raised immediate questions about whether he had ever been sexually harassed with women, allegations first reported by the AP last summer. The accusations have shortened his career in the United States, as well as his native Spain.
” I never promised a part to a singer, or ever take a part of a singer, ” he said. ‘I’ve spent my whole life helping, and you know, encouraging and driving people.’ ‘He added that responsibilities are divided within opera companies, which means he was never alone in making decisions about casting.
” People who deserve to sing sing, ” he said.
Several artists told the AP that Domingo harassed them and abused his power while he held management positions at the Los Angeles Opera and Washington National Opera. Numerous women said Domingo had career opportunities bouncing when he pursued sexual relations with her and then withdrew the offers or stopped hiring them when they rejected his progress.
Research by LA Opera and the American Guild of Musical Artists found the allegations of sexual harassment credible. LA Opera did not find that he abused his power, but AGMA found a clear pattern of such abuse, according to people who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose the findings.
Two of Domingo’s managers and a spokeswoman briefly interrupted the interview when the singer was asked to respond to the fact that both investigations found the allegations of sexual harassment credible and that one found a pattern of abuse.
AGMA has never released the full report of its findings, but Domingo’s team referred to two written statements by the union – one for the public and one for members – and neither mentioned any abuse of power. They also cited Washington Opera which never began an investigation as an indication that such allegations were grounded.
” Never, never, never, ” Domingo said, when asked again if he had abused his power as manager.
Domingo focused on the abuse of power during a wide-ranging interview in the library of his hotel in Naples. It originated as his main line of defense against the accusers who accused him of a year in which he celebrated his 50th anniversary in both the stage La Scala and in Arena di Verona.
The star tenor, who has moved into baritone roles, emerged from a coronavirus bolt that placed him in hospital in Mexico on March 10 with a mission to rehabilitate his opera career as he approaches his 80th birthday .
‘It was really a big hit when we – both my wife and I – got the coronavirus. It was a terrible impression, because for a singer, each other’s lungs are very important, ”he said, noting that his singing training could eventually make him further and help him to recover.
Recognizing that the virus can lead to death, “you make decisions that if all goes well, we will need to repair many things in life,” he said.
In Domingo’s response to the allegations in the AP’s opening story, he had said he ” recognized the rules and standards by which we – and should – be measured ‘have changed over the decades. And earlier this year, he issued a statement after the union’s findings were leaked to the AP, saying of the women who accused him that he was’ really sorry for the pain I was causing her. I accept full responsibility for my actions. ”
But after Spain, his native country, canceled his promises, he quickly withdrew the apology, insisting in a new statement that “I have never behaved aggressively towards anyone.”
Asked what he meant by his initial statement about the change of rules, Domingo responded, ” The problem is that so much time has passed. What we are trying to do is make my name clear, especially to my family. ”
He said he hopes he can respond to what he sees as a misunderstanding with Spanish officials’ press releases without speaking directly to him, so that he can perform again in the country where his parents once ran the bright opera house Zarzuela in Madrid. .
Domingo said he sees his return to stages in the U.S. as less likely. He forgot his AGMA membership, saying he realized he would no longer be welcome at the New York Metropolitan Opera or at the LA Opera, which he helped find, and that he would probably only be through the 2021 seasons. and 2022 will sing.
‘It’s very sad for me not to sing … in the United States. I enjoy it so much, ”said Domingo. “For more than half a century … the audience has been really, really extraordinary.”
In Europe, Domingo has a full fall singing and leadership schedule, mostly concentrated in Italy, Germany and Austria, which began with a Saturday concert in nearby Caserta, where he showed that his voice was not harmed by the virus.
” A concert like yesterday, or like I do this week in Verona, is easy. It is not a complete opera, ”said Domingo. ” I wonder what it will be like when I go to Vienna in early September to do a lot of production. I do not know how we will do the lineup, or how close the singers will be. We’re not wearing masks, and we’re making a big effort. It will be very complicated. ”
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