MOSCOW (Public Radio of Armenia) — World-renowned pianist Evgeny Kissin said in an interview with the New York Times that he would not perform in Turkey until its government acknowledges that the mass murder of Armenians in 1915 was a genocide.
“I personally believe that if people in such countries learn that some musicians refuse to play there because they are dismayed by what their rulers do, that will make intelligent-thinking people more aware,” he said.
He hastened to add that he does “not judge or condemn colleagues who perform in totalitarian countries; “it’s a personal choice,” he said.
Kissin was scheduled to perform t a concert devoted to Jewish composers on Wednesday, December 16 at Carnegie Hall in New York.
