Placido Domingo napustio legendarni Metropolitan
http://www.sound-report.com/vijesti/placido-domingo-napustio-legendarni-metropolit
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Veliku je zvijezdu klasične glazbe više žena nedavno optužilo za seksualno zlostavljanje, a sada se to odrazilo na njegov angažman u legendarnoj njujorškoj operi Metropolitan.
Uoči premijere Verdijeve opere "Macbeth" u kojoj je trebao glumiti naslovnu ulogu, napustio je ovu prestižnu opernu kuću, zbog pritiska zaposlenika koji su zabrinuti zbog njegovog ponašanja i odražavanje nedavnih optužbi na izvedbe, piše NY Times.
Do sada su i druge američke kulturne institucije Domingu otkazale suradnje, kao Simfonijski orkestar iz Philadelphije i Opera u San Franciscu, navodeći da njihova radna okolina treba biti sigurna.
Debitirao sam u Metropolitanu sa samo 27 godina, te u ovom kazalištu pjevam punu 51 godinu u 709 nastupa na sceni i preko sto izvedaba za dirigentskim pultom.
Premda strogo odbacujem sve nedavne optužbe, svjestan sam da bi se trenutna radna atmosfera itekako mogla odraziti na moju ulogu u ovoj produkciji "Macbetha" te tako odvratiti pažnju s velikog truda kojeg su moje kolege uložile na i iza pozornici. Zato sam se odlučio povući i zahvaljujem se upravi Metropolitana što je prihvatila moj odlazak. - izjavio je Domingo u službenom priopćenju.
Na pozornici će ga večeras zamijeniti poznati svjetski bariton iz Srbije, Željko Lučić.
Placido Domingo accused of sexual harassment
https://abcnews.go.com/US/video/placido-domingo-withdraws-met-opera-performances-65836837
Placido Domingo Steps Down From Metropolitan Opera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUH47UoTxzQ
Danas 78-godišnji operni veteran rekao je da se neće vratiti u Met i dodao da je kostimirana proba za predstavu »Macbetha« bio »njegov zadnji nastup na pozornici Meta«.
http://www.novilist.hr/Kultura/Operna-zvijezda-Placido-Domingo-povlaci-se-iz-svih-buducih-nastupa-u-Metu
Review: Plácido Domingo Is Gone, but He Still Haunted ‘Macbeth
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/26/arts/music/macbeth-met-opera-review.html?action=click&contentCollection=arts®ion=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront
For regulars at the Metropolitan Opera, alarms immediately go off when an usher hands you a program with a white slip of paper inserted. “Uh oh, someone’s not singing,” you think. “What happened?”
There was an insert for the performance of Verdi’s “Macbeth” on Wednesday. But in this case, everyone at the house, and most people who follow opera throughout the world, surely knew what had happened.
On Tuesday, the news broke that, given growing internal tensions over the Met’s response to allegations from multiple women that Plácido Domingo had sexually harassed them, he was withdrawing not just from “Macbeth,” but also leaving the company for good after a momentous 51-year association.
Mr. Domingo has been under a sexual harassment investigation at Los Angeles Opera, a company he runs, since August. The Met had initially opted for a wait-and-see approach before making any moves of its own. (Mr. Domingo has denied wrongdoing, saying that his relationships with women have been “welcomed and consensual.”) But at the Met, reports of backstage unease among singers, orchestra musicians and staff about the uncomfortable working environment that permeated the house after Mr. Domingo showed up for “Macbeth” rehearsals made his continued presence untenable. Whether the Met pushed Mr. Domingo to leave or he took the first step, as the company suggested in a statement, does not really matter.
Yet, what did happen? How could the Met have not settled a clearer course of action with Mr. Domingo weeks ago? These questions hovered over Wednesday’s performance.
There was no announcement from the stage, only the blunt white slip indicating the role of Macbeth would be sung by Zeljko Lucic, “replacing Plácido Domingo.” (Mr. Lucic was already scheduled to take over the title role for the final three, of six, performances in this run.) There were no protests outside or inside the house, either against or on behalf of Mr. Domingo, who has many tenaciously loyal fans.
More information is bound to come out, and there is much for the Met, the field of classical music, and society at large, to grapple with. But one of the most colossal careers in opera history seems to be over — at least at the Met, and perhaps in the United States. As of now, his performance as Germont in Verdi’s “La Traviata” on April 27 will go down as his final Met appearance.
You have to admire the Met’s intrepid cast, chorus and orchestra for rallying on Wednesday. Mr. Lucic, a major baritone, sang Macbeth when the Met introduced Adrian Noble’s gripping production in 2007. He returned for a revival in 2014, in which Anna Netrebko sang her first Lady Macbeth at the house, a thrilling performance and another milestone in her career. Paring two superstars — Ms. Netrebko and Mr. Domingo — had been the selling point of this latest revival. Instead, the reunited Ms. Netrebko and Mr. Lucic could draw upon their past experience together.
Still, the stress of an 11th-hour upheaval may have had an effect: There was a feeling of concerted effort, as if an entire company of dedicated artists were digging in as best it could, despite the energetic and articulate playing the conductor Marco Armiliato drew from the orchestra.
That Mr. Domingo, 78, prolonged his career for a decade by remaking himself into a baritone was, depending on your perspective, a remarkable achievement or an act of self-indulgence. Yet, though his voice often sounded a little leathery and worn in baritone roles, he usually compensated with intensity and charisma.
Mr. Lucic has the advantage of being a true baritone. On Wednesday, as always, his singing was warm, mellow and full-bodied without being forced. He brought melting legato phrasing to lyrical passages. His sound may lack some Italianate richness, and his tone tends to be focused, with minimal vibrato. This can expose moments of faulty pitch, which happened on Wednesday — especially during his final scene, when Macbeth, in a grim soliloquy, realizes that he is about to be vanquished for his murderous ambition. Yet, during much of the evening, especially in Macbeth’s brooding moments, he sang with grave beauty and affecting emotional vulnerability.
Ms. Netrebko, by contrast, was afire with intensity as the calculating Lady Macbeth. That she seized the stage from Mr. Lucic actually worked dramatically, since it is Lady Macbeth who pushes her husband to embrace his destiny and murder his way to the throne.
As is often the case with Ms. Netrebko, she took some time to warm up. But from her first scene, in which she reads aloud Macbeth’s letter explaining the mysterious prophesies of the witches, Ms. Netrebko sang with a mesmerizing blend of steely resolve and seductive allure. And during the tour de force sleepwalking scene — Lady Macbeth’s final moments, when she imagines her hands covered with blood that cannot be washed away — Ms. Netrebko was in a zone, one moment emitting chilling outbursts, the next shaping haunted phrases with eerily hushed radiance.
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The strong cast included the bass Ildar Abdrazakov as Banquo, Macbeth’s loyal military comrade who becomes his victim; the tenor Giuseppe Filianoti as Malcolm, the shaken son of murdered King Duncan; and the tenor Matthew Polenzani as the nobleman Macduff, who finally rallies the forces of opposition and helps restores Malcolm to the throne.
Mr. Polenzani brought anguished fervor to Macduff’s intense Act IV aria when he learns that his wife and children have been killed. The choral ensembles were stirring and effective, especially those for the women portraying Verdi’s witches, depicted in this staging as like a sisterhood of frumpily dressed yet menacing bag ladies.
Despite all the distressing news and confusion surrounding Mr. Domingo, the audience seemed eager to support the artists on the first night of a Met Opera without him. There were bravos galore and bouquets tossed onstage — one of which was deftly caught by a smiling Ms. Netrebko.
Anthony Tommasini is the chief classical music critic. He writes about orchestras, opera and diverse styles of contemporary music, and he reports regularly from major international festivals. A pianist, he holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Boston University. @TommasiniNYT
GIUSEPPE VERDI Macbeth
https://www.metopera.org/season/2019-20-season/macbeth/
Soprano Anna Netrebko created a sensation when she made her Met role debut as Lady Macbeth in 2014, opposite baritone Željko Lučić in the title role. Now, the two stars reunite to reprise their acclaimed portrayals in Verdi’s gripping Shakespeare adaptation. Marco Armiliato conducts a standout cast that also features tenor Matthew Polenzani as Macduff and bass Ildar Abdrazakov as Banquo, in Adrian Noble’s evocative production.
Saturday Sep 28 at 8 PM BUY TICKETS TO MACBETH
Tuesday Oct 1 at 7:30 PM BUY TICKETS TO MACBETH
Friday Oct 4 at 8 PM BUY TICKETS TO MACBETH
Tuesday Oct 8 at 8 PM BUY TICKETS TO MACBETH
Saturday Oct 12 at 8:30 PM BUY TICKETS TO MACBETH
Production a gift of Mr. and Mrs. Paul M. Montrone
Additional funding from Mr. and Mrs. William R. Miller; Hermione Foundation, Laura Sloate, Trustee; and The Gilbert S. Kahn & John J. Noffo Kahn Endowment Fund
Revival a gift of Rolex
PETER GELB: WHY I AM STANDING BY DOMINGO
https://slippedisc.com/2019/09/peter-gelb-why-i-am-backing-domingo/
The Met has confirmed that its general manager held a clear-the-air session on Saturday with chorus and orchestra members to address concerns about Placido Domingo‘s presence at the Met.
Gelb is reported to have downplayed AP allegations of sexual misconduct since all but two of the complainants were anonymous and the story had not been taken further by reputable media. He also insisted that there had been no reports of Domingo misconduct at the Met.
The Met would not conduct its own investigation, he added, but it would abide by the conclusions of the LA Opera inquiry.
Domingo will appear tomorrow at the Met opposite Anna Netrebko in Verdi’s Macbeth.
The Met has issued the following statement to NPR:
‘On Saturday Sept. 21, after the dress rehearsal of Macbeth, Peter Gelb held an open conversation with members of the Orchestra and Chorus as he has done with other groups within the Met over recent weeks. In the meeting Mr. Gelb reiterated how seriously the Met takes accusations of sexual harassment and abuse of power.
‘He explained that because there was currently no corroborated evidence against Mr. Domingo the Met believed that the fair and correct thing to do was to wait until the investigations by LA Opera and AGMA had taken place. He explained that if corroborated evidence is made public either through the investigations or other means, the Met would take prompt action.’