Domingo deflected direct questions about whether he ever sexually harassed women, accusations that were first reported by the AP last summer. The allegations have crippled his career in
‘’I never promised a part to a singer, or never take a part from a singer," he said. “I have spent my whole life helping, and you know, encouraging and driving people.”’ He added that responsibilities within opera companies are divided, meaning he never had sole sway over casting decisions.
‘’People that deserved to sing were singing,’’ he said.
Multiple performers told the AP that Domingo harassed them and abused his power while he held management positions at
Investigations by LA Opera and the
Two of Domingo's managers and a spokesperson briefly cut off the interview when the singer was asked to respond to the fact that both investigations had found the sexual harassment accusations credible and that one had found a pattern of abuse.
‘’Never, never, never,’’ Domingo said, when asked again if he had misused his power as a manager.
Domingo put the focus on the abuse of power allegations during a wide-ranging interview in the library of his
The star tenor, who has moved into baritone roles, has emerged from a bout with coronavirus that put him in the hospital in
“It was really a big blow when we got – both my wife and me – we got the coronavirus. It was a terrible impression because for a singer, one’s lungs are very important,’’ he said, noting that his singing training might ultimately have made him resilient and helped him recover.
Recognizing that the virus could lead to death, "you make decisions that if everything goes well, we need to fix many things in life,’ he said.
In Domingo’s response to the accusations in AP's initial story, he had said he recognized ‘’the rules and standards by which we are — and should be — measured’’ had changed over the decades. And earlier this year, he issued a mea culpa after the union findings were leaked to the AP, saying of the women who accused him that he was “truly sorry for the hurt that I caused them. I accept full responsibility for my actions."
But after
Asked what he meant in his first statement about the rules changing, Domingo responded, ‘’The problem is that so much time has passed. I must, what we are trying to do, is clear my name, above all for my family.’’
He said he hopes he can smooth out what he sees as a misunderstanding with Spanish officials’ responding to press reports without speaking directly to him so he can once again perform in the country where his parents once ran the Zarzuela light opera house in
Domingo said he sees his return to stages in the
“It’s very sad for me not to be able to sing ... in
In
‘’A concert like yesterday, or like I am doing in Verona this week, is easy. It is not a complete opera,’’ Domingo said. ‘’ I wonder how it will be when I get to
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