John Eliot Gardiner, an eminent conductor who was accused of striking a singer in France last year, will not be returning to three renowned period ensembles he founded, the board overseeing them announced Wednesday.
Gardiner, 81, who is one of the world’s most celebrated conductors, will no longer lead the three groups: the Monteverdi Choir, the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique.
The board of the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras, the nonprofit that oversees all three ensembles, said Wednesday that it had decided that Gardiner, who had been on leave since the incident in France last summer, “will not be returning to the organization.”
“The MCO takes seriously its obligations to protect victims of abuse and assault and preventing any recurrence remains a priority for the organization,” the group said in a statement.
Gardiner sought to frame the decision as his own, saying in a later statement Wednesday that it came after “a great deal of soul-searching since the deeply regrettable incident” in France.
He drew widespread criticism after he was accused of striking the singer, William Thomas, a rising bass from England, on the face last summer after a performance of the first two acts of Berlioz’s opera “Les Troyens” at the Festival Berlioz in La Côte-Saint-André. Gardiner was apparently upset that Thomas had headed the wrong way off the podium at the concert, people at the festival said at the time.
After the incident, Gardiner abruptly returned to London to see his doctor and withdrew from performances. He expressed regret, saying he had lost his temper but that “physical violence is never acceptable.” He also apologized to Thomas.
Since the altercation, Gardiner, a major figure in the period-instrument movement, has largely retreated from public view, stepping back from his day-to-day duties with the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras, where he had served as artistic director. Gardiner founded the Monteverdi Choir in 1964 for a performance of Monteverdi’s “Vespers of 1610” at Cambridge University when he was a student. He went on to found the English Baroque Soloists in 1978 and the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique in 1989.
On Wednesday, Gardiner said he had been undergoing therapy and counseling, and that he had “apologized repeatedly and unreservedly for losing control in such an inappropriate fashion.” He declined to be interviewed.
Gardiner conducted at the coronation of King Charles III of Britain and has performed on leading stages around the world, released many acclaimed recordings and written a book about Johann Sebastian Bach, “Bach: Music in the Castle of Heaven.”
The Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras had seemed to be working toward a solution that would allow Gardiner to return to the podium. The organization announced in February that Gardiner would extend his time away, adding, “it is our shared aim that he will be in a position to return to conduct the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestras later in the year.” On Wednesday the group said that it had considered “the possibility of a rehabilitation process,” but it did not provide details.
The group praised Gardiner’s “extraordinary musical influence over the past 60 years” and said it was “proud to have enabled and promoted his long and illustrious career, alongside that of many other musicians.”
No successor to Gardiner was named. Guy Bellamy, a spokesperson for the Monteverdi Choir & Orchestras, said that “an announcement on future plans and appointments will follow in the coming weeks.”
After a long absence, Gardiner returned to the stage this month, conducting the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France at a festival in Montpellier, France. He said in his statement Wednesday that he had no intention of retiring.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I am not in any sense ready to retire,” he said. “I will be focusing on a rich variety of other activities, including guest conducting, recording, writing, creative and education projects (to which I am deeply committed) as part of a lighter, lower-pressure schedule.”. — NYT
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