Evgeny Kissin: I don’t have a drop of Russian blood
NewsThe Moscow-born pianist, 50, tells the FAZ: ‘I don’t have a drop of Russian blood in me.’
He left Russia in 1993 because it is ‘one of the most anti-Semitic countries in the world.’
he plays Chopn’s Polonaise F sharp minor which is ‘clearly about the tragedy of the Polish people, who fell victim to Russian imperialism in Chopin’s day.’
Read on here.
Kissin is 51, and left the Soviet Union in 1991.
Norman can’t provide even the simplest facts about something you Google two second .
Journalist…….
As many times as I’ve heard him live, I never tire of hearing him perform for us. We are all so fortunate. Kissin is a living legend.
I actually believe that he and his family left Russia in the early fall of 1990 – he appeared with the NY Phil and also had a solo debut in Carnegie (pre Stern-Perelman) in Sept of that year. I dont think he ever went back there as a resident afterwards. I have known him well for over 30 years; he is, in addition to being a superlative artist, a gem of a human being.
No, Kissin’s first visit to America was in Fall 1990, when he played the 2 Chopin concerti with Mehta/NYPO, and recitals at Carnegie Hall and Orchestra Hall in Chicago. He then returned to Moscow for another year, and endured the coup in 1991. Right after the failed coup, he returned to America for his scheduled tour, and decided to remain in the West.
Oh please, stop the BLOODy nonsense. We ALL have the SAME blood in us.
Now I would like to know who are the thumbs down voters to this statement, and if they really believe there are ethnic/tribal differences in the blood of people. Crazy deranged stuff.
You’d be hard pressed to find someone on this blog who doesn’t believe that matrilineal descent makes one either a Chosen Person of God or not.
Now that’s interesting. Who are the people who click a thumbs down to this scientific fact? There seems to be a grave education problem there.
No we don’t: there are several blood types. Besides, our DNA is unique for every one of us and therefore so is our blood because it does contain DNA.
That’s splitting hairs. You could argue further that NOTHING is like anything else, because each atom is unique.
Taking your argument further, there is NO such thing as being from the same blood as anybody else.
No Russian blood. No Jewish blood.
Only you and your individual blood.
I can live with that.
Or a common human blood, with small differentiations, that do not align with ethnic lineage.
We can all live with that, except that DNA (which is present in blood) does show certain signs of “ethnic lineage” which is the basis of what “ancestry.com” and similar companies such as “23andMe” are able to determine.
These companies use false advertising to generate money. The signs of ethnic lineage are very blurry and mostly not aligned with certain ethnicities or nationalities. Very broad Statistical likelihoods at best. Certain documented aberrations within a small sample group sometimes through several generations.
Whoever gets a report from these companies can frame it and hang it up in his toilet. It’s a lot of hot air. They determine e.g. between Northern European and Southern European. With certain likelihood, not certainty. More precise is not possible.
(the whole ancestry dna business is just a side show for these companies. they are out to create DNA mappings of the wider population, to sell it to Big Pharma…)
Anyway, DNA is a straw man here, since it does not determine immersion in a culture and education.
P.S. In Chopin’s day Poland was divided between Prussia, Austria and Russia. And Poland did the same with Ukraine at another time in history. All were bloody imperialists at some time. Except the Swiss. 😉
“Except the Swiss.”
They found other ways to suck.
And what does he gave to say about Chopin ´ s aggressive anti-semitism?
Bro, he was born more than 200 hundred years ago, what does it have to do with anything? What are we going to do next? Criticize the romans because they had slaves?
Debate whether Alexander deserves to be called “the Great”.
Think of how many “Russian-born” pianists, now and back over a century, this statement is true of.
except that there is no such thing as “Russian blood” in the first place.
Unless you believe some silly nonsense.
The term “blood” in this sense is simply an expression, as you well know. Kindly get over yourself.
Of course there isn’t, and Evgeny Kissin is more than intelligent enough to know that. This is just a figure of speech where “blood” simply means “ancestry”. It is perfectly clear from the context that he used the phrase figuratively.
It is also perfectly clear from human history, that demagogues and people who like to divide people into constructed categories, races and such, have caused much suffering and bloodshed. It is toxic thinking and deeply unscientific.
And regarding ancestry, of course Kissin also has some Russian ancestry with him. And that shouldn’t be a problem for anybody, including himself.
If you have proof that he has ethnic Russian ancestry, present it. He is not saying that he has a problem with it – in fact, these days he is probably pleased about it.
The first part of your comment was answered earlier in my response below here.
a Russian Jew growing up in Russia has no clearly separated DNA from other Russians. It’s 99.9999% identical DNA. Plus differences that every human has to others. And culturally they have a lot of overlap as well. Not sure what your point is.
The separation is only in mental constructs, for good or worse, just saying.
It may well be a fact, but why should it matter if he did, he’s not against Russians, he’s against the Putin regime.
I dunno, if someone said “I don’t have a drop of Jewish blood in me”, his meaning could be either a neutral fact or something rather sinister.
From the history of mankind:
Wherever people start talking about “their blood” and “our blood”, they kill innocent people in the end.
Throughout human history, innocent people have been killed for all kinds of various reasons – and even without any as well – but let us be discerning enough to see the difference and to realize that people such as Evgeny Kissin are much more likely to be among those being murdered rather than among the murderers.
He should stick to piano. The US regime is far worse
The article has sadly disappeared.
His Barbican concert in London is a sell-out. He is up against Daniel Trifonov playing Prokofiev’s third piano concerto in the Royal Festival Hall on the same night.
From Trifonov’s Instagram page written after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“It has been truly heartbreaking to witness what has been happening in the last few days. Every war is a tragedy. As a musician I wish I could bring solace and peace in these difficult times. I pray for a solution that will bring long-lasting peace.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CabMghygT0V/?hl=en
One can add that Russia is one of the most anti-Russian countries in the world. It is also anti-Ukrainian, anti-German, anti-American, and anti-human in general.
Stunning and brave…
Why don’t we talk about music instead?
I just hope that Kissin is not anemic and has the same color of blood as any Russian. When I had the pleasure of listening to him play the Russian repertory at Carnegie Hall I could have sworn his Vital Juices were Russian, just like Ashkenazy.
When Fritz Kreisler wife proudly said: “FK doesn’t have a drop of Jewish blood!”. Leopold Godowsky respond:” I didn’t know that he’s anemic”. E.Kissin left Russia when antisemitism evaporated. Jews was envied because of privilege to emigrate. Opened synagogues and Jewish religion was practice without persecution. EK left for better carrier opportunities in the West. He start learning Yiddish. Why he didn’t move to Birobijan, capital of Jewish autonomy region where official language’s Yiddish and Jews there didn’t suffer antisemitism?
Birobidzhan’s population since 1990 has never been more than 2% Jewish. And it’s far too remote to be the home base for a touring musician.
Esfir Ross, you obviously don’t know what you are talking about. Anti-Semitism evaporated ? There were enormous demonstrations orchestrated by the Russian nationalist organizations like the Pamyat Front, openly calling for pogroms. People were terrified.
And you have the temerity to mention Birobijan, a horrid Stalinist project, a place to which Stalin intended to forcibly exile the Jews of the USSR?
Do you even think before you post?
blood…
3. temperament or disposition, especially when passionate.
4. family background; descent or lineage.
Like most Russian-born people of humanitarian tendencies (a tiny minority of be sure) he is rightly disgusted with his former countrymen and must live elsewhere. No wonder if no longer wishes to be seen as “Russian” it is now as ever an identity to be thoroughly ashamed of.
well, glass houses, throwing stones… haha.
Here in Europe there is the joke: What’s an American? A Russian with money. Hohoho.
Wikipedia says he is a “Soviet, Russian, British and Israeli pianist”. He left the country at the age of 20, after he received a free education, performed in the Great Hall of the Conservatory, and had foreign tours. Who and how “infringed” on his rights or opportunities as a Jew, and where did the “Russian blood” come from if he is a Jew?
A couple of questions: 1) Oh Norman? Did I not read you were going to take action on comments and commentators? 2) Can we just leave Mr Kissin alone, be quiet and listen to his music because he is one of the finest of the era?