Director and Conductor Paolo Carignani Steps Down
"Neglected in Korea... Suffered from Sleep Disorders and Insomnia"
Paolo Carignani, one of the conductors scheduled to participate in the opera "Again 2024 Turandot" (hereinafter "Turandot"), announced his withdrawal on the 29th.
Carignani's side released a press statement on the same day, saying, "Conductor Carignani notified through a Korean lawyer on the 24th that the contract was terminated and left Korea on the 25th," adding, "We deeply regret that he had no choice but to withdraw from 'Turandot'."
For this performance, Carignani was set to conduct alongside Pl?cido Domingo, who was considered one of the "Three Tenors," and Jos? Cura, a world-renowned tenor and conductor.
Carignani's side claimed, "From the 16th, when he arrived in Korea, until the 25th, rehearsals were held only at locations other than the COEX performance hall," and "Since the 18th, he had to stay continuously at the hotel without even knowing when he would conduct, making it impossible to conduct." They added, "Conductor Carignani requested confirmation of the conducting schedule nine times during this period, but all were ignored," and "Park Hyun-jun, the general artistic director of the production company, did not give a definite answer even by Christmas Eve."
They also revealed that Director Park notified 'InArt,' Carignani's agency, on the 19th and 20th that the casting might be canceled due to Carignani's lack of capability. Nevertheless, there was no response to inquiries about contract termination, and on the 20th, without prior consultation, they were unilaterally informed that Jos? Cura would replace the conductor for the performance on the 24th.
Carignani's side further explained, "Conductor Carignani not only did not receive the contract payment but was left in the hotel until the 25th without any idea of when he would conduct, suffering severe anxiety and sleep disorders, and ultimately had no choice but to leave Korea." They added, "Currently, Carignani's name and photo are still displayed on the performance ticket sales page and promotional posters, so we felt the need to clarify this process."
"Turandot" has been performed at COEX in Seoul since the 22nd. It attracted high expectations as the largest-scale performance in Korea, but it was embroiled in controversy from the start, including the director withdrawing just hours before the performance.
Davide Livermore, who was in charge of directing "Turandot," stated in a press release on the 22nd, "I completely sever ties with the artistic outcome of the 'Turandot' production performed in Seoul," and "I do not recognize it as my work."
He claimed, "Constructive conflict between the production team and the director is a common practice, but in this case, such cooperation did not happen at all," and "This was not cooperation but an authoritarian imposition at an unprofessional amateur level."
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