Polish Politics at the Piano
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman's debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles took a political turn on Sunday night when he took a moment before his final number to announce that he wouldn't play in the U.S. again as long as America pursues an imperialist agenda on the world stage.
Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman’s debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles took a political turn on Sunday night when he took a moment before his final number to announce that he wouldn’t play in the U.S. again as long as America pursues an imperialist agenda on the world stage.
Wait, before you go…Los Angeles Times:
Before playing the final work on his recital, Karol Szymanowski’s “Variations on a Polish Folk Theme,” Zimerman sat silently at the piano for a moment, almost began to play, but then turned to the audience. In a quiet but angry voice that did not project well, he indicated that he could no longer play in a country whose military wants to control the whole world.
“Get your hands off of my country,” he said. He also made reference to the U.S. military detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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