Placido Domingo admits on his 80th birthday that he cried with emotion with the first applause he received from the public after the sexual harassment scandal this has kept him away from the Spanish scene for months, among other things, although he dreams of returning to them, especially in his hometown, “in the not too distant future.”
Little could he have imagined that, after more than half a century as one of the great voices of world opera, the last stage of his life story will see him move from hero to villain following the accusations of almost a number of women who had worked with him in the US in the 1990s and reported harassment by the tenor and former conductor of the Los Angeles Opera.
Domingo replied that for him all these relations were “welcome and consensual”, But he resigned from his position at the Los Angeles Opera, while suffering a wave of cancellations of his performances, especially in the US, but also in Madrid, at the request of the Spanish government. A little later, a statement arrived in which he said he regretted the “pain caused” and in which he accepted his responsibility.
“It was not my fault, although it seems to be“, he clarified in September last year, on Spanish public television, in an intervention in which he condemned” abuses in any situation, place and time. “They can say whatever they want, but I never respected any of them. Woman,” he insisted.
Before his e-mail interview with Efe while rehearsing in Vienna, where he will take part in the opera “Nabucco” tomorrow Friday, his team is tasked with emphasizing first of all that, after the statements made in these months, he considers that the accusations “an outdated chapter”.
The Washington Opera, where Domingo was general manager between 1996 and 2011, did not consider any investigation necessary.
The American Union of Artists (AGMA) and the Los Angeles Opera conducted internal investigations with the artist’s collaboration, and their conclusion was that he “behaved inappropriately” in the first case and, in the second, that the allegations were “credible,” “partially.” because of the similarities in their procedures ”.
“Plácido Domingo has never been investigated or tried by any court or other institutional investigative body for any accusation,” said the artist’s team, which wants to continue on the stage of lyrical theaters and has an agenda full of commitments in cities such as 2021. Moscow, Paris, Lucerne (Switzerland), Cologne (Germany) or Verona (Italy).
With over 151 roles played, his desire to continue despite the controversy is surprising. The explanation, he points out to Efe, is “his enormous passion for music and stage”, also “that the adrenaline there can be addictive” and that “the applause and affection of the audience are of an incomparable emotion and satisfaction”.
He remembers how nervous he first felt when he appeared at the Salzburg Festival as soon as the scandal broke.
“I was afraid that they would be carried away by everything the press kept writing about me. Instead, they seemed to feel how much that return cost me emotionally, so before I opened my mouth, they greeted me with applause that enveloped me like a hug. Of all the applause I received, it was extraordinarily unique and made me cry, ”he says.
The conclusions of the AGMA report determined INAEM to cancel its performances at the Zarzuela Theater in 2020, at the request of the Minister of Culture, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes.
“It certainly made me suffer, especially since the decision of the institutions was immediate, without any possibility of response. But I hope that a dialogue can pave the way to clarify any misunderstanding,” he said of the cancellations.
The Teatro Real also announced the suspension of its performances of “La Traviata” after a previous statement in which Domingo withdrew from those theaters and companies that were having difficulty fulfilling those commitments. So far, however, he expresses his “heartfelt desire” to play again in Spain, especially in his hometown.
“I made my debut at the Teatro de la Zarzuela in Madrid in 1971. El Real has become an international opera house and I am proud to have been a part of its growth and development. I also miss the crowd of people from Madrid, who are wonderful and I think I have had a beautiful relationship with them for 50 years. I still receive hundreds of loving messages and I hope to return in the not too distant future. “, he confesses.
In what was probably one of the most difficult years of his life, he did not miss a positive for covid-19 last March.
“I was very scared as soon as I found out about the positive result, both for my health and for my voice.. I had only read and heard devastating stories and did not know what to believe. The worst thing for me was the loneliness of prison. Fortunately, I was treated quickly and effectively over long distances by my doctor and, thank God, neither my lungs nor my voice suffered, “he says.
Among his future goals, he emphasizes his desire to launch into “a few green characters” and a few zarzuelas “deeply” related to his roots, especially those of his mother. However, he remains reluctant to accept the role of a villain.
“There are, no doubt, villains with extraordinary vocal and acting requirements, but the performance of Scarpia or Iago would be a betrayal of Mario Cavaradossi and Otello, who meant so much to me. In any case, the complexities and vile features of Nabucco and Macbeth allowed him to enter those facets of a tyrannical king on the brink of madness and an ambitious general, obsessed with the throne to the point of murder “, he justifies.
He says that every function he performs now he considers “a beautiful gift” and that “as long as the body resists and the voice allows it,” he will continue to sing “where he can,” until it is truly his final concert. .
“When that day comes to me, at the end of a show, I will say,‘ This was my last performance. ’Later, and as usual, we will go to dinner with family and friends and celebrate,” the adventure, before specify that, even when leaving the scene, he can never leave the music.