Mikhail Pletnev: I am proud to be Swiss
NewsThe founder and forrmer head of the Russian National Orchestra has spoken out about his pride in taking Swiss citizenship.
He says: ‘Switzerland is the only state which gives the example of the whole world how to live together. We have four nationalities and (it’s) not a problem.’
His remarks are subtitled in Russian, for greater impact.
Switzerland is fine if you like chocolate, can afford it in the first place in return for zero tax and go along with their policy of not asking too many questions where the money came from.
Switzerland does have taxes… even income taxes.
https://taxsummaries.pwc.com/switzerland/individual/taxes-on-personal-income
And wealth tax, one of the very few countries in Europe.
I am paying 43 percent income taxes in Switzerland, and every resident of any means pays taxes. This not Monaco (unfortunately).
Indeed.
However, Swiss residents of “any means” can also pay a much lower rate (percentage-wise) than the average resident if the canton in which they live agrees to what is called “Pauschalbesteuerung” — a term reserved almost exclusively for (rich) foreign residents.
(it’s a German word … look it up on Google if you don’t know what it means)
Switzerland is certainly not zero tax . Better to get proper information before writing .
The Swiss might want to Google his name and find out who they have in their midst there.
Also they would take in anybody with the right bank account.
Billy: ‘I would rather have Mr Pletnev here in Sweden than many other people.’
Gilda: ‘I just love his piano playing.’
Ernst: ‘Too slow tempos in Beethoven, but interesting anyway.’
They’ll find out he was a victim of a smear campaign.
@Max – well I’ve googled his name and I can’t see what you might be meaning. Would you like to clarify why the Swiss might want to do that (as no doubt they already have)?
I googled his name, Max, and your dark undertone is injudicious.
Commento disgustoso.
The Swiss have had in their midst for decades one of the world’s great pianists and conductors. People like Max (and Victor on another recent thread) think they are so clever remembering a nugget they read about many years ago but then they totally failed to follow up to realise that it was a piece of manufactured nonsense. And with their simple minds they remain so certain that they are right when they are so pathetically and scandalously wrong.
It’s not four nationalities. It’s four languages.
Exactly, important difference.
Nationality is so overrated, it’s getting so tiring.
“Nationality is the last refuge of the scoundrel”.
If humanity continues on the current downward nationalism trajectory, in a few years every village will claim to have their own national identity. Maybe like it was in the stone age.
‘Nationalism’. Don’t be cute.
Actually, ‘patriotism’. Sorry, too hasty.
How many young male asylum-seekers did Switzerland receive, compared to the EU?
Should Switzerland not be cancelled?
Four languages not four nationalities. That is the success of Switzerland. In most other places separate languages lead to separate identities.
But, in Switzerland’s case at least, four languages are an indication of four rather separate cultures. I have always been struck by how separate the four language groups are from one another. Perhaps the secret of the country’s success is that the four groups just get on with their own separate lives and do not need to interact much with one another. They live apart from one another in geographical terms and often do not speak the others’ languages. Their mutual “alien-ness” means they don’t have the tensions that living side by side in “multicultural” cities inevitably seems to create. Sure, places like Zurich have large non-German speaking populations, but you’ll hear Albanian and Turkish rather than French. And in places like Geneva and Lausanne there are also lots of non-“French Swiss”, but they come from Africa rather than St Gallen. And the Italians – well, they live in Ticino.
“And in places like Geneva and Lausanne there are also lots of non-‘French Swiss’, but they come from Africa rather than St Gallen.”
Or Russian … seemingly much more so than Africa.
The reason for his confusion is the Russian language in which the word «национальность» (natsionalnost) usually means “ethnicity”.
Pletnev has lived in Switzerland as his main home for the better part of 20 years.
Billy: ‘Does he conduct with a cigarette instead of a batton? Is the cigarette lit then? Does he…’
Ernst, Gilda: ‘Shut up, Billy!’
Switzerland is a highly protective, anti-muslim nation, sitting on pots of Russian gold.
The situation would be less tense if Switzerland were part of the EU family of nations.
I have only visited there 3 times and found it a very pleasant place, but expensive. With respect that the maestro in question here, he won’t be a resident of anywhere for much longer if he continues with those cigarettes.
Thanks God Switzerland is not part of the EU
Switzerland is a muslim-friendly state, not only in finances, to the point that certain acts defined as”ismamophobia” are criminal offences.
Switzerland’s “privileged” social conditions are being destroyed by the Schengen rules (you don’t need to be a full member of the dysfunctional “EU family of nations” to suffer from EU rules).
anti-Muslims? there are even mosques in Switzerland, one with a minaret.. inform yourself before speaking
Pletnev is a genius. If his new-found nationality enables him to continue plying his trade by side-stepping tricky political situations, then so much the better.
My civil service pension will not be enough to live there.
Is it enough to live anywhere??!!!
He probably is just very happy that he is not fully connected to Russia these days.
As Swiss-Italian, and Italian citizen I don’t especially feel proud to be Swiss: I just happened to be born here at the shores of Lake Maggiore, happy me! The most beautiful Swiss canton. Period.
For the benefit of Switzerland’s haters (I often noticed with no pleasure there are many on SD): here are not only banks, big pharmas, millionaires, Nazi’s gold hidden in the mountains, but simple citizens who struggle to get to end of month. There are bad, even evil persons as well as lovely very open and kind people.
Exactly as in any country of the world.
So please, no injust, inutile stereotypes on Switzerland.
Grazie.
For the benefit of Mikhail Pletnëv: he is most welcome in my country, as it gives me more chances to listen to his true authentic great poignant musicianship.
Grazie, Maestro.
(Pletnëv’s haters, sadly always some on SD, are not welcome.)
Musically, Switzerland is a poor nation.
Why did Austria and Germany produce so many great composers?
Even Raff became more German than Swiss.
Answering to this subtle sort of nasty comment:
Of course, no Mozart no Bach no Beethoven no Tchaïkovski, but would you please consider Frank Martin, Honegger, Rolf Lieberman, Joseph Joachim, Heinz Holliger, Emile Jacques-Dalcroze worth of some attention?
Grazie.
tell Abbado or the Schola Cantorum Basilensis
Having listened just now to Pletnev’s Chopin recital at the Edinburgh Festival, I have to say that his performance was very disappointing. Ponderous and poorly articulated. It seems that becoming Swiss has drained him of his energy.