“I am taking a step back to get the help of specialists that I recognize that I have needed for some time,” said John Elliot Gardiner (Photo: AP)
Celebrated British conductor John Eliot Gardiner, 80, announced on Thursday that he would give up all his planned engagements this year and seek psychological help after he punched a young singer in late August at a festival in France.
Considered one of the pioneers of the Baroque renewal, the octogenarian has been at the center of a scandal since the British media claimed that he had slapped the lyrical singer William Thomas on the grounds that the latter had left the scene next door. wrong on La Côte Saint André, in south-eastern France.
“I am stepping back to get help from specialists that I know I have needed for some time,” he said in a statement.
Director John Eliot Gardiner asks for psychological help after hitting a young singer (Photo: Europa Press)
“I want to apologize to my colleagues who have felt mistreated and to all those who might be disappointed by my decision to take time to resolve my issues,” he added, saying that “his heart is broken for having caused so much anguish.”
The multi-award winning director, who performed notably at the coronation of Charles III, had already been pulled from a September performance of London’s legendary Proms classical music festival.
The incident in question occurred on August 22 after a performance of the opera Los Trojanos by Héctor Berlioz, a composer in which John Eliot Gardiner is considered a specialist. His relatives, quoted in the British media, mentioned the strong heat and a change in medical treatment to explain the conductor’s reaction.
Fuente: AFP
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