King’s College alumnus and Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) Edward Gardner was reportedly threatened with a defamation action by a leading Italian opera house for likening its singers to “rival Mafia families”.

The Teatro di San Carlo opera house in Naples criticised the conductor following a comment he made in an interview with The Times last month. Gardner, who recently made his debut at the opera house, claimed that the chorus of Teatro di San Carlo “is made up of two rival Mafia families—who after one performance put each other in A&E.”

Gaetano Manfredi, the Mayor of Naples, described the allegations as “very serious” and “completely unfounded”, declaring: “We will act to protect the reputation of the San Carlo Theatre and its employees”.

Angelo and Sergio Pisani, the lawyers representing the opera house, said: “The defamatory statements attributed to Gardner undermine the prestige of a cultural institution of worldwide importance.” They added: “Unfounded attacks such as these risk undermining the credibility of an institution that has made an important contribution to the dissemination of art and music for centuries.”

Gardner has since retracted his comments and apologised to the singers in a statement made on Tuesday (18/02). He stated that he was “more than happy to retract that allegation” and said that he had “deep respect and appreciation for the choir and its members”.

He explained: “Shortly before my arrival in Naples I was informed that two members of the chorus had a public fight outside the theatre resulting in one person being hospitalised. I was very surprised by this.”

“However, I did not intend to suggest that the choir were members of the Mafia”, he added. 

He also said working with the chorus was “a meaningful experience that highlighted the talent, dedication, and hard work of this group”.

A spokesperson for Askonas Holt, the classical arts management agency which represents Gardner, told Varsity: “The situation with the Theatre is now resolved.”

Gardner conducted the choirs of Trinity, Jesus, Selwyn and Clare last Saturday (15/02) in a performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis in Saffron Hall.

The performance was organised by the Cambridge Centre for Music Performance (CMP) over a year ago, according to the Askonas Holt spokesperson.

All relevant parties were contacted for comment.