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Re: Krystian Zimerman

Author: Ralph Katz
Date: 2009-05-12 00:26

This sort of thing is rare in any musical genre. Experience with Sinead O'Connor indicates that it is death for a pop singer.

I was at Paul Paray's last appearance with the Detroit Symphony in 1962, when he read a prepared statement about being continuously treated shabbily. And I knew exactly what he was talking about - this was no different from anybody else in the orchestra during that era. I was shocked, but this can happen when an artist is treated like a piece of meat.

We could put this into better perspective if we knew just how much of Mr. Zimerman's income came from US performances. He probably makes most of his income from playing in other countries, and from his recording contract. My guess is that he will continue to make a good living.

He did make a big splash. Concert-goers are not used to politics. In accepted ettiquette. it can happen backstage but is not supposed to occur where the audience can see it. Passing over snooty propriety, it is generally bad form to dump unpleasantness on your customers. Music is an escape for many, who don't like politics interjected into their music.

So far as "unpleasantness" goes, any lesser artist would be very highly traumatized by having their $100K+ instrument destroyed. The article doesn't mention, but it is most likely that Mr. Zimerman's destroyed Steinway was fully insured. On the other hand we can be assured that he personally selected it and had it altered to his liking. It takes substantially more time and money to do this with a piano than with a clarinet.

Was this spontaneous? How will this effect his popularity outside of the US? What if he had just gone home and not booked any more US appearances?

Post Edited (2009-05-12 11:42)

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