Pianist goes on the bling

Pianist goes on the bling

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norman lebrecht

October 06, 2020

Khatia Buniatishvili has joined the international bling bearers.

I am happy and honored to become an ambassador of Cartier – legendary and iconic Maison. 💙✨
Accepting inessential human needs makes them measurable, prevents their growth into greed. This is how I see Cartier – the golden proportion of glamour… never less, never too much.
Thank you Cartier ❤️ It is a pure joy to be part of your family and I’m keen to accomplish together in future many beautiful things, with your signature charm and glamour, for Arts and Culture; against inequalities and for celebration of uniqueness of every individual.

Comments

  • Greg Bottini says:

    Hmmmm….
    Sounds like pure BS to me, Khatia….
    Best wishes on your piano playing, though.

  • Peter San Diego says:

    Cartier will be “against inequalities” when it sells its jewelry at prices a laborer can afford. I have nothing against celebrity endorsements of luxury products; just please keep nonsense out of it.

  • Roman says:

    Even wearing luxuries became an act of fighting against inequality. What a time!

  • Michael Endres says:

    Uplifting and heartwarming.

  • KV 581 says:

    Cartier should have proofread her post. What does that even mean?

  • Le Křenek du jour says:

    As long as dosh from Cartier keeps her off the dole, I can’t see much wrong with that.
    Not in the current marasmus of the performing arts.
    And I must say, she looks rather elegant and lovely on these pictures.
    Certainly not meeting the definition of bling.

    No, the only thing that grates is in the last sentence:
    Cartier “against inequalities”, there’s an oxymoron for you.

  • jb says:

    With Cartier against inequalities ?? Is she serious ? Without inequalities, such luxury brands would not exist.

  • Jon Eiche says:

    (Fully expecting a slew of comments decrying all sorts of evils about this news, nonetheless…) I’m just happy a classical performer has the cachet to serve in such an ad campaign these days.

  • V. Lind says:

    Her blinguistics are dodgy. As, I suspect, is her capacity to reason her way from point A to point B.

    Nothing wrong with Cartier – a perfectly distinguished company. But the self-justification: the lady doth protest too much, methinks.

    • Greg Bottini says:

      Blinguistics – a truly great word invention.
      I hope it gets into the next edition of the O.E.D.!

    • Judith Despaties says:

      Perhaps she has a language problem and is instead attesting to ever growing inequalities and making sure the winning coquettes among us are reminded where to spend our money after COVID…it’s called marketing…….in every shape or form. Meanwhile, she may herself become an « inessential human need ».

  • Charles Clark-Maxwell says:

    >>I’m keen to accomplish together in future many beautiful things,

    Huh ? “I’m keen to receive many payments from you”

  • yujafan says:

    but will it make her playing any more sparkling? 😉

  • Disgusting says:

    When did Cartier (FFS), or any pianist earning enough to attract their attention, ever do anything “against inequalities”? And just exactly what “inequalities”? And what is that piffle about greed – as if it isn’t greed that props up such a “legendary and iconic Maison” (gag) as much as it does the inflated career of just another grasping, banging pianist? What a fake phony fraud, not to mention a sellout whore – and once a whore, always a whore.

    • Genius Repairman says:

      Wow Disgusting, you are overreacting more than Busoni did when he decided to write a modest little piano concerto. It is a bit of harmless copywriting fluff. And have you heard of the concept of sexism? Would you react as strongly if say, John Elliot Gardener was the face of a brand of Swiss watch?
      “Not too bling and just enough timekeeping” says Gardener. “Whore” you emote.

    • Bruce says:

      My goodness. Someone seems awfully easily triggered this morning.

      Thanks for letting us all know about Buniatishvili’s pivotal role in upholding the current system of inequality. Next time, you might want to add something about her white privilege.

  • Mathias Broucek says:

    I think a little bit of sick came up into my mouth….

  • J says:

    No one cares about you and your Cartier BS. It means nothing and demeans the profession. If one weren’t done with you previously, they may be now.

  • John Borstlap says:

    Another gesture of commodification and prostitution of the art form. Such selling-out reinforces the prejudice of classical music being a mere luxury entertainment in the margin, and thus helps populists to prove their point.

    • Jack says:

      John, I hate to tell you this but the world at large — the populist world or otherwise — doesn’t pay the least attention to matters like this. Aside from Norman’s blog I daresay you’ll have to look high and low for the world media focusing on Khatia and Cartiers. Save your rhetoric for weightier matters. The future of the performing arts in the midst of a worldwide pandemic would seem a good starting place.

      • John Borstlap says:

        A book is in the making…..

        But the signal of this post, however insignificant in itself, reflects a much wider trend: the cheapening of music. The result is that its possible value is, for many ignorant, uneducated people, measured according to commercial standards, which is giving teeth to the philistines: subsidy cuts, attacks from the woke crowd, extinction of music education, etc.

  • Dragonetti says:

    We could be on to something here. Now let’s think…
    OK for the sake of inequality and any other BS, I’m willing to be sponsored by the following: Range Rover ( I need something substantial to get my bass to gigs-if they ever happen again), Rolex ( terrible faux pas to be late for rehearsal) and perhaps the Savoy Grill (to be properly fed and watered between rehearsal and concert).
    That should be good for starters and then the world’s my oyster. Let the good times roll!

  • Bruce says:

    I dunno, I think this is pretty nice (had to find an audio-only link so people can listen without being distracted by her luscious curves & crevices):

    https://open.spotify.com/track/1Uld5u6GAksDqd6K8xnmGS

  • Paganono says:

    The way she beats the piano black and blue, it’s amazing Cartier would trust her with their jewels.

    • John Borstlap says:

      The best way of using them would be as a ‘jewellery-prepared piano’: IN the instrument, to produce a glamorous tinkling.

  • This is distasteful and tactless on so many levels. You cannot be an ambassador for a luxury brand and claim to be against inequalities: the two concepts are mutually exclusive. A musician reading this after six months of unemployment, and no government support, might find it a tad offensive. Perhaps Ms B might like to donate her Cartier fee for 2020 to the Musicians Benevolent Fund. Cartier might like to cast a more careful eye over their in-house translator, and if it has not been produced in-house they might like to ask their brand ambassadors to submit their comments for approval. This is a time to be sensitive.

    • Gustavo says:

      Maybe Cartier should consider purchasing David Hockney’s portrait of David Webster so it can remain on display in ROH. I think that would be a less egocentric PR campaign to support the arts.

  • Alexander T says:

    Striking a blow against inequality, as was David Beckham in his time.
    Well done Khatia!!
    LOL !!!

  • Gerhard says:

    The Cartier thing is a good thing for her since rumor has it that she is saving up for a nose job.

    • John King says:

      Why do people have a chip on their shoulder about her nose? She looks beautiful, profile and all. If that doesn’t fall in with Hollywood’s “cookie-cutter” notion of beauty, too bad.

  • Musician says:

    Her time would be better spent working on walking onstage and outside concert halls without face planting.

  • Micaela Bonetti says:

    Mr Lebrecht,
    When will you write about, let’s say, female pianists such as Yeol Eum Son or Beatrice Rana?
    Don’t worry: I’m sure your readers will appreciate!

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