Portugal Colonial - British conductor cancels shows after assault claims

The acclaimed conductor, 80, withdrew last week from the BBC Proms after claims that he hit a singer for going the wrong way off stage at a festival in France.

In a statement, he said he was taking "a step back in order to get the specialist help I recognise that I have needed for some time."

He apologised for letting anyone down by the decision and colleagues who have felt badly treated.

"I am heartbroken to have caused so much distress and I am determined to learn from my mistakes," he added.

Last week he expressed his "deep regret" at the incident, which happened at the Berlioz festival at the composer's birthplace near Grenoble. "I know that physical violence is never acceptable," he added.

The conductor had been due to appear at a Proms performance on September 3 but has now been replaced by Dinis Sousa.

In 2010, he addressed his reputation as a hard taskmaster.

"I can be impatient, I get stroppy, I haven't always been compassionate," he told the Financial Times.

But he said stories of "a dictatorial style that has bordered on rudeness" were overblown. "Someone needs to be in charge," he said.

Gardiner is a veteran of the Proms -- Britain's foremost classical musical festival -- and conducted during King Charles III's coronation in May.

His string of awards include a knighthood and honorary membership of the Royal Academy of Music. He has also won two Grammys for opera and choral music.

A.Seabra--PC