After having to give up his career in the United States, Placido Domingo finds himself weakened by the scandal even in his native Spain, which for the first time canceled Wednesday his participation in a show, after he had admitted his "responsibility" in a sexual harassment case.
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"So far, the situation has been different, there was a presumption of innocence," Culture Minister José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes told reporters. " But when he said that, indeed, what had happened, concerning serious facts affecting many women, we decided that there was no need to maintain his presence" , added the minister.
Fall of a national monument of culture in Spain
The National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (Inaem), dependent on the ministry, has announced that it has canceled the artist's participation in performances of "Luisa Fernanda", on May 14 and 15, at the National Theater of la Zarzuela, "out of solidarity with the women concerned". In the Madrid theater where he made his debut 50 years ago, the show is maintained ... but without him.
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Since the explosion of the affair in August in the United States, no opera in Spain had yet canceled the famous Madrid tenor become baritone. Until now it had the status of a national monument of culture in Spain, where several lyrical singers who sang alongside him had taken up its defense. But after denying the charges for months, the 79-year-old artist asked for forgiveness Tuesday in a statement to the 20 or so women who accused him of sexual harassment in the United States. “I am sincerely sorry for the suffering I caused them. I accept full responsibility for my actions, ” he wrote.
This mea culpa coincides with the publication of an independent investigation - commissioned by the American Union of Opera Artists - concluding that he has engaged in inappropriate behavior in the past , ranging from flirting to sexual advances, breastfeeding and breastfeeding. 'outside his workplace' . In Madrid, Inaem and the ministry expressed in a press release "their support for women and the rejection of any type of harassment, abusive behavior or expression of domination" , while the government of the socialist Pedro Sanchez wants to be at the forefront of feminism.
"A man with a woman" and a little more
After the accusations, the singer had left in October the direction of the opera house in Los Angeles and gave up performing at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Other American operas had canceled his performances, marking the end of his career in the United States. He has been able to continue performing in Europe, where he has many performances scheduled soon, in Hamburg, Moscow, Vienna, Verona or London.
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In an investigation published in August by the Associated Press (AP), nine women claimed to have been harassed by him from the late 1980s, accusing him of touching, forced kissing, inappropriate remarks and have harmed their careers if refused. AP released a second investigation in September, claiming that eleven other women had come forward as victims. These allegations came in the midst of accusations of harassment or sexual assault against stars in the entertainment world. The #MeToo movement was revived in 2017 in the wake of accusations against American film producer Harvey Weinstein, which a Manhattan jury found guilty on Monday of sexual assault and rape.
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The first accusations against Placido Domingo had mainly aroused calls in Spain to respect the presumption of innocence. Several representatives of the opera community had described him as "a ladies' man" , while assuring that he had never observed any acts of harassment on his part. Spanish lyric singers had defended the maestro as "a perfect gentleman". "Placido Domingo is facing the end of its legend," headlined the daily El Pais, the most widely read newspaper in Spain, on Tuesday.
The Royal Theater of Madrid (Teatro Real) told AFP on Tuesday that the program including Placido Domingo in "La Traviata" in May was maintained. For its part, the direction of the Valencia opera house (south-east) - where the artist had been applauded in December - now wants to assess "the potential consequences" of the new information, said Tuesday its artistic director, Jesus Iglesias .
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