About three years ago I went to La Bohème at Covent Garden and was singularly underwhelmed by the tenor singing Rodolfo, Tito Beltran. I said
eminently forgettable. A whiny nasally voice, without the top notes required, and with, at times, a very vague approximation to pitch.
Last summer I discovered a restaurant where the management seem to have a Beltran fixation, which I thought a bit unfortunate considering that based upon my one hearing at Covent Garden and on some CD they play, he is struggling to be mediocre.
I always hesitate to comment on the substance of criminal trials, and, IMO, it is a particularly complex area where men in the public eye are accused of rape (which is why I have said absolutely nothing about the Manchester United reserve player facing similar charges, torn as I am between utter condemnation of arrogant young men who think they can get what they want and a realisation that there are mercenary women determined to get their fifteen minutes of fame irrespective of how). But nevertheless,
Opera star Beltran denies rape charges
Tito Beltran, 42, is accused of raping the woman at a hotel in Nötesjö in Skåne following a performance at a concert in the area. A number of other well-known Swedish performers were staying at the hotel, and have been interviewed in the police investigation.and
Opera star rape suspect slams Sweden
Believing himself to be the victim of ethnic discrimination, the popular tenor has vowed to burn his Swedish passport after the trial."Swedes are as racist as they come," Beltran told Chilean newspaper Las Últimas Noticias. "This country doesn't tolerate 'blackheads' [svartskallar], of which I am one," he added.
In a separate matter, Beltran was cleared last year of charges of sexually abusing a girl, who is now aged 13, between 2000 and 2002. The prosecutor has appealed Beltran's acquittal to Gothenburg District Court.
Two thoughts: it must be considered very unfortunate to be falsely accused of rape in two entirely unconnected incidents (I can only assume the alleged victim of the first alleged incident only went to the police after reading reports about the second, which I think is fairly common practice).
also: it seems a bit convenient to hit out at the racism of a country after having lived there for twenty years and having chosen to take on its citizenship (although in fairness he left Chile because of Pinochet, as did many hundreds of thousands of lucky ones who could). In any case, burning a passport looks just like a divo fit, a gesture. . No international entertainer in their right mind would relinquish EU citizenship in order to face additional bureaucracy and hassles in respect of work permits etc. And I imagine he would know as well as anyone whether it would be preferable to pass a long prison sentence in Sweden or Chile. Without any knowledge of either country, nor any desire nor need to find out about prison conditions, I would opt for Sweden.
His website is several years out of date
UpdateThe Valparaiso Times reports
This is not the first time that Beltrán - who has lived in Sweden the past 21 years - has been accused of sexually assaulting minors. Rumors have circulated in the press for years about the singer having sex with young girls. In 2002 Beltrán spoke out against the rumors in the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, saying it is degrading to be called a pedophile and insisting that after I turned 30 I have not had sex with girls who were under 20 years of age. And it anybody claims otherwise, they need to prove it!
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