Kaufmann on Domingo: I wasn’t there

Kaufmann on Domingo: I wasn’t there

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norman lebrecht

October 18, 2019

The tenor is staying cautiously neutral.

On allegations against Placido Domingo: ‘I cannot comment. I wasn’t there.’

Comments

  • Esther Cavett says:

    You can’t blame him for not getting involved. JK looks a nice family man, worlds away from all this Latin Lothario B.S.

    • Family Man says:

      Nice family man?!! Are you kidding me?! Did you forget how Jonas cheated on his first wife with his second wife while he was on the road performing and she was home taking care of his kids? Nice family man, my ass!

      • Lydia Wahlberg says:

        Oh oh the Jonas groupies are going to make your life hell just for telling the truth. Kaufmann is not a good person.

      • Lulu says:

        Maybe she didn’t care that much that her husband was cheating on her. Maybe she felt quite relieved. Maybe they both lost each other , a loss from which Mr.Kaufmann, at least ,doesn t seem to have recovered.

        • Amber says:

          Why do you think he has not recovered? He looked awful a few yars ago, it is true, lost a lot of weight…but now he looks happy with his marriage and baby.

      • Waltraud says:

        You simply know nothing about that marriage…….

    • Mary says:

      Except he cheated on his wife to find a younger partner. Think before calling anyone Latin Lothario. Sounds racist.

  • mary says:

    But we know what he, and even D’s most diehard defenders, think privately: keep him away from my daughter.

  • Mustafa Kandan says:

    It is interesting to go through a life time in which not only technology have changed so much, but also the social norms. Just a few years ago being a womaniser was something rather enviable, but now a shameful crime (lets remember being a womaniser includes making mistakes & instances of failure). It is obvious we are entering a new age & will eventually reach a point of maturity not to be too judgemental of people of a previous era.

    • Normal Person says:

      I find it interesting that you or anyone ever envied womanisers. The rest of us thought they were creeps a few years ago and still do now.

      • George says:

        Maybe some women love womanizers and prefer them to their boring husbands at home? After all you need to have some success to become a womanizer. I bet Placido Domingo, George Clooney & Co were the fantasy of many a women’s dream, just as Marilyn Monroe was the fantasy of a lot of men.
        Not excusing
        actions that are wrong, but there are women who love sex too, you know.
        The thought that all women are victims to modern times “Don Giovanni’s” is somewhat outdated after going through the sexual revolutions of the 60s, 70s and 80s.

        • Normal Person says:

          This has nothing to do with “liking sex” or fantasies, you Neanderthal! This is an issue of abuse of power. And all women are not claiming to be victims. The problem is people like you who think that each conquest is a measure of one’s “success.” A big star like PD or Bill Cosby expects everyone to fall all over themselves for him. When one of these perverts isn’t getting as much action as they expect, they still feel entitled to it and sometimes find a way to be “successful” without regard for the wishes of the other party.

          • George says:

            I was not talking about the abuse of power. That is a completely different aspect. Abusing power is of course wrong, whether you are a man, a woman or else, whether it is by sex, psychological pressure or aggressiveness.
            I was replying to your general remark suggesting that everyboy thinks womanizers are creeps.
            Also you cannot compare the Domingo case to Bill Cosby. They are completely different.

          • Saskia Ellmer says:

            Are yon that sure that you can’t compare between Mr. D. and Bill Cosby? I’m not…

        • Claudio says:

          This right here is the best example of the misogynism and abuse apologism that we regularly see amongst some commenters on this website. George actually suggests that a woman who objects to being sexually abused is a woman that does not love sex. I feel for any female that has the misfortune of interacting with this pathetically disgusting little man.

    • Claudio says:

      A womanizer is “a man who often has temporary sexual relationships with women or tries to get women to have sex with him”. Domingo is being accused of something more perverse. Forcing himself on women who have already made it clear they are not interested. That has always been wrong and there was nothing enviable about that. Kissing a woman or grabbing her breast or putting your hand down her pants is not a mistake or a failure. It is sexual assault.

  • he is right says:

    what Jonas Kaufmann says is the only acceptable comment possible !

  • AMiller says:

    Of course JK can’t comment, just like 99.9% of the population. 1. If PD had an open marriage and sought the company of women, what’s wrong with this? 2. If PD did not take no for an answer when clearly told ‘no’, he has crossed the line and this is wrong. 3. If PD ‘groped’, a women, this is an assault and is criminal. 4. If, as the boss at LA Opera, he tried to trade favours with young singers and/or coerce, this is a misuse of power and is wrong. Does anybody essentially disagree with the above? Best wishes.

  • Rike says:

    In dem selben Artikel steht auch, dass er Domingo als Freund und Kollegen schätze und ihn nicht zuletzt wegen seiner Verdienste verehre.“Und wenn eine einmalige Karriere wie seine auf solche Weise zu Ende gehen soll, dann macht mich das ebenso traurig wie nachdenklich.“

  • Rike says:

    Nicht „dient“ sondern „schätzt“

  • George says:

    Bryn Terfel’s view:

    Excerpt of the interview with Daily Telegraph, October 10, 2019:

    But this diplomacy [of Terfel] is put to the test when the conversation turns to Placido Domingo. The previous week, the Spanish tenor had announced he would never again perform at New York’s Metropolitan Opera in the wake of allegations that he had pressured women into sexual relationships, often with the promise of jobs or preferential treatment.
    When I ask Terfel about these allegations (which Domingo strenuously denies), he immediately harks back to 1993, when the two sang Tales of Hoffman together in Vienna.

    “He’s just a magnificent icon in our profession,” he starts. “The personal life, of course I can’t really comment about that, but I can comment about him as a human being. A total gentleman, and I don’t see where this is coming from, because I cannot see that he could be giving work to young singers and they’re not of a particular standard.
    “So, as I say, he walks into a room and heads turn. What you do with that is up to you. The choice that you have to make is: which position do you put yourself in? And I’m not talking about Placido, I’m talking about other people around him. Do you make a conscious decision to be closer to him, or to maybe try your luck out getting a role here or there? That’s up to you. You put yourself in that position, so…”

    I suggest to Terfel that Domingo may not be the last opera singer to face accusations of sexual harassment. Terfel nods. “Vittorio Grigolo in Japan – what happened there in a curtain call?” He is referring to an incident in September when the Italian star tenor allegedly grabbed a female member of the chorus in a sexual manner.
    “I don’t get it, you know?” says Terfel. “Especially when one of the world’s foremost tenors is going through the time he is now.”

    • V.Lind says:

      No, Mr. Terfel, you don’t get it. And like Mr. Kaufman, you should have left it at “I can’t really comment about that.” Nobody doubts that the great tenor, as you call him, has lovely manners, any more than that he is a great artist. Neither precludes him from having faults, some of which have been charged against him by people who work with him.

  • Rob says:

    Well they have something in common, they both have grey beards.

  • M McAlpine says:

    How amazing! Someone minding his own business!

  • Lulu says:

    In the same interview, he mentions something about the long tradition of “Couch occupation” in opera. He surely speaks from the position of a connaisseur. Slightly off topic, he once talked about the tenor Lauritz Melchior as being a kind of “singing sofa” .Lol Maybe one day one should analyse this Freudian obsession with tenorial sofas and coaches.

  • Vaquero357 says:

    OK but….. Why is Jonas Kaufmann’s opinion even relevant? And why do I need to know it?

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