The other day I promised some less good news about another Russian pianist, and here it is: Grigory Sokolov, who was to have played at the Royal Festival Hall on 29 April, has cancelled his appearance due to visa trouble. The hoops that the British government is demanding artists jump through in order to perform here have now been set so high and made so unpleasant that it appears he has better things to do with his time than bother with them. He just won't come here.
It's OUTRAGEOUS that such bureaucratic claptrap should keep one of the greatest pianists on the planet away from the musical capital of the world! And please don't start writing in to JDCMB with sanctimonious comments about keeping out terrorists - we've had plenty growing up right here in Blighty, and they tend not to be concert pianists, let alone ones of Sokolov's stature.
Consolation prize: Sokolov is to be replaced by Angela Hewitt, who will perform the Bach Goldberg Variations. I'll be interviewing her on stage before the show.
4 comments:
The Americans can be just as bad. I spent a whole morning applying for a visa, alongside the members of the LSO, ahead of a trip to Daytona for some concerts (I'm hosting one of them); a mind-numbing, ridiculous charade of stupid rules and demands. They make you feel like a pathetic under-class.
The most annoying question on one of the supplemental forms I had to fill in (because I have the misfortune to be male and under 45, so obviously up to no good) is 'List all countries you have entered in the last 10 years.' The LAST 10 YEARS!!! Not only did it take an enormous amount of effort to try and recall where I'd been, I was overwhelmed with the desire to write on the form 'None of your bloody business!!!'.
So, note to all men under 45: make sure you keep a detailed diary of where you've been in the world - on the off-chance the Americans want to know.
Actually, my favo(u?!)rite part of the American Visa application process is ticking 'yes' or 'no' to whether:
"...you seek to enter the US to engage in... subversive or terrorist activities or any other unlawful purpose?"
ummmm, I guess they're hoping those terrorists are honest folk.
Talking of Sokolov - didn't he do this last year too?
er, yes. Apparently it has something to do with fingerprints, and the distance between Verona and Rome. I have to say, I think I would be with Big Grisha on this one. Someone prominent has to make a stand on this.
Cancelling a performance two months before does not seem to me that he was willing to try very hard for a visa...
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