Sex and tax troubles for two French stars
NewsThe international violinist Renaud Capuçon has lost an appeal against conviction for failing to declare earnings on a dozen concerts.
The news site L’informé reports that the musician omitted to declare 5 concerts in 2013 and 6 in 2014 – and that he underdeclared his fees in a further 27 – 5 in 2013, 22 in 2014.
A court found that he owes 110,735 euros in unpaid taxes and 19,498 euros in other charges.
Capuçon’s appeal to the Council of State was rejected on March 22, 2024.
Capuçon, 48, is a friend of President Macron and husband of the TV presenter Laurence Ferrari. He is supposed to be playing a representative role in this summer’s Olympic Games.
The conductor Francois-Xavier Roth, a former associate of the LSO and incoming chief of the SWR Symphony in Stuttgart, is accused by the satirical magazine Le canard enchainé of sexual assault against one female musician and of sending dick pics to others. Among the named accusers is the violinist Marie-Annick Nicolas, former concertmaster of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. Roth admiited sending ‘intimate messages’. He told the magazine: ‘”If I have gone too far, I would like to apologize to those I may have hurt.’
A lot of artists have and had problems with taxes. Rules are often very complicated, the officials of the tax authorities very often don’t understand how artists earn their money and make many mistakes, and going to court is very often the last resort for artists. I am not defending Mr. Capuçon, but probably the situation is more complicated than it appears. Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli is an exemple. Italian authorities seized his piano. He moved to Switzerland and didn’t play in Italy ever again. Many singers have problems with tax authorities (Schicoff, Zampieri, Caballé), but it is not always their fault.
FX Roth….. the old game of power. Disgusting.
Not just musicians, athletes too, many have served jail time.
It’s not that complicated to understand, on the other hand, it gets awfully complicated once you start cheating.
Just pay your taxes. You are not as clever as the tax authorities.
If you earn income in multiple countries, then yes, taxes do become complicated. And a well-known classical soloist could earn income from a dozen countries in a single year.
François-Xavier Roth sends “dick pics” and has admitted doing this ???
Here is one of the few musical geniuses around. I thought only IDIOTS did this type of thing.
The headline says:
“A conductor who leads his world to the (trouser) fly”
The little editorial box says:
“Maestro, it’s too much” … as if to answer FXR’s “if I have gone too far.”
… and then lists Levine, Dutoit, Gatti, Barenboim and Gardiner as other offenders, before asking:
“So many conductors who exceeded the measure?”
Many great musicians have never developed as people. It’s as if they will always be a teenager.
well, once you send a dick pic from your phone, it’s kinda hard, no pun intended, to deny it
has woman ever changed her mind based on a dick pic, as in, “ugh, as if”, I don’t like the man, I’d never even consider lunch with him, but oooohhh, a dic pic, ok, let’s get married and have children
Think twice before using the word “genius”. He might be a decent conductor (undoubtedly not a genius), but he seems an idiot.
An opinion, as a French person working in the industry and very familiar with careers of star soloists such as Renaud Capuçon : although I don’t know if this is the case here, many French artists find themselves unable to declare some concerts given abroad because of the very specific status of artists in France.
Often times, in foreign countries (mainly Europe), promoters expect soloists to sort out taxes on their own as a freelance artist. However, the “freelance” status for French musicians barely exists, soloists need to get an actual work contract for each concert they give. In most cases, the artist’ manager knows this and sorts it out with the promoter beforehand (and it can be a hassle). But sometimes, the contracts are not so clear on this, and it is only after the concert that the artist’ manager will receive a request for an invoice from the promoter and therefore understands that no taxes are being paid. So when that happens, well… You just hope no one will notice because there is no way to declare this money.
It seems very stupid but it happens, also because when everyone uses English as business language even though it is not their native language, miscommunication happens. “net of taxes” does not mean the same in every country.
With that said, I have not fully read the article on Mr Capuçon therefore I cannot say if this is the situation in his case. But the French system, although it does wonders for artists by protecting them very well, is also a nightmare for soloists, their managers and whoever handles their tax declaration.
As an artist living in France and often working abroad, you are absolutely right that this can be a hassle but it’s not true that there is “no way to declare this money”. You simply declare what you have earned abroad to the French tax service and they will calculate what you have to pay, depending if taxes have already been paid in the country where you worked and the tax convention between France and said country. It takes some digging in tough texts but it’s quite possible to manage without the help of an accountant. And in no way an excuse for not declaring your earnings!
Definitely not trying to find excuses to anyone. And I’m not talking about everytime an artist works abroad, just about the very specific times where what seemed like a work contract was in fact a freelance contract. Meaning, the French artists was not allowed to work with this contract because he /she does not have a freelance status ! Very very difficult to declare taxes when your employment is not 100% correct in the first place. In other cases, yes, you should absolutely declare the fees made abroad to French authorities and it is usually quite easy.
You may be speaking about our famous Artiste Intermittent status. This doesn’t apply at all to those earning anywhere near as much as M. Capuçon.
sorry, but you don’t seriously think Capuçon does the paperwork on his taxes all by himself, and so it’s a typical otherworldly artist’s mistake?
If you’re a concert soloist you hire an accountant to do your taxes.
Yes thank you I am very aware. As I explained above, the misunderstandings and mistakes with contracts and taxes happen usually between the manager and the promoter. Artists’ accountants only intervene for instance once a trimester or once a year for the tax declarations. Once they realize the tax situation is not 100% correct, the contract is usually signed, the concert played, the fee transferred. It is therefore too late.
And regarding the above comment, no, not talking about intermitence, also aware that artists such as Mr Capuçon don’t qualify.
Oh François-Xavier – say it ain’t so!!!
Ugh, dick pics. So classy. Expected better from him.
I have a feeling that there were a few female giggles involved.
Sometimes you have to go with your best feature
Geniuses are not gods… only in the minds of their fanbases.
This gives all of us who send intimate pictures a sense of relief, as Francois-Xavier Roth is just such a fine conductor.
Thanks, made my day.
Ah, sarcasm! It lives! 🙂
The people who describe Roth as a “musical genius” and a “fine conductor” evidently have not heard his perverse recording of the Eroica.
It´s not perverse. It sticks to LvB´s tempo indications and metronome markings….If you want perverse Eroicas, listen to the ridiculous recordings of most of the past, who did the opening mvt in three instead in one.
What do others think? Here’s the first movement:
https://youtu.be/fZPFKyG6O5c?si=IDjbhLwrvBrItn93
I often disagree with Dave Hurwitz, but on this occasion I entirely agree with him:
https://youtu.be/w7PnqoNvNIs?si=kUcNsTdY0O0KiIlu
Yuk. Those opening chords are horrible. Maybe the highly-sexed M. Roth felt that arpeggios were more orgasmic, like the horns at the start of Der Rosenkavalier.
From an earlier generation, I really enjoy the Eroica recordings by Weingartner (Vienna, 1936) and Horenstein (Baden-Baden, 1961).
More recently, Barenboim really got to the heart of the funeral march when he conducted it, in an empty Teatro alla Scala, as a tribute to Abbado after his death in 2014.
https://youtu.be/D-OsBg3xYt0?si=ZQOWzsXOoX57oDRl
“IF i have gone too far … ?!” mon dieu.
If true – what about the ray of light after Currentzis for SWR?!
Currentzis has been a hit for SWR.
He leaves with *seven* performances of the War Requiem next month, all SOLD OUT.
There is a gap season (2024-25) before Roth takes over, assuming that still happens.
My goodness, seems like the only news on here these days is that of men behaving badly or pics of Yuja…..
Don’t be silly. There are lots of pieces about DEI appointments and decisions!
Maybe also men behaving badly with pics of Yuja.
Not much else going on in classical music, Monty. It’s 2024.
Renaud needs to go to Trump’s accountant to avoid paying the tax man.
Trump’s accountant is currently unavailable (Rikers Island for the second time – think of the worst jail you can. It’s worse).
Good news!
Only below the line Slipped Disc music would the commentators skip straight past the allegation of sexual assault and focus entirely on the “dick pics” …..
“Civilization has a natural resistance to improving itself.”
I wonder how the public assessment of these accusations is colored by them being aired in a “satirical magazine.”
What if MAD Magazine had broken Monica-gate?
Le Canard enchaîné may be satirical in tone, but if they publish something you can bet it has been double and triple checked. It’s one of the most serious (and feared) news outlets in France.
Der öffentlich rechtliche Rundfunk has to kick him out.SWR.
No one will except to finance someone like him with his money.
He is so disgusting.
Way to shove another sexual assault perpetrator under the rug by pairing it with a story about tax evasion.
Great Job Lebrecht, you putz.
“sexual assault perpetrator” ?
Get your facts straight !