Evgeny Kissin: "When Israel's enemies try to disrupt concerts ... I want them to ... make trouble at my concerts too"

As we saw here, the young Russian-born piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin has a proud history of staunchly and stirringly speaking up for Israel and denouncing antisemitism.

As we also saw, he became a British citizen in 2002, inspired by a remark of Sir Winston Churchill's.

Thanks to Tom Gross, a personal friend of Mr Kissin, we now know that the great pianist is about to become an Israeli citizen, for the following heartfelt and noble reasons:

“I am a Jew, Israel is a Jewish state – and since long ago I have felt that Israel, although I do not live there, is the only state in the world with which I can fully identify myself, whose case, problems, tragedies and very destiny I perceive to be mine.

 If I, as a human being and artist represent anything in the world, it is my Jewish people, and therefore Israel is the only state on our planet which I want to represent with my art and all my public activities, no matter where I live. When Israel’s enemies try to disrupt concerts of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra or the Jerusalem Quartet, I want them to come and make troubles at my concerts, too: because Israel’s case is my case, Israel’s enemies are my enemies, and I do not want to be spared of the troubles which Israeli musicians encounter when they represent the Jewish State beyond its borders.

I have always deeply despised chauvinism and have never regarded my people to be superior to other peoples; I feel truly blessed that my profession is probably the most international one in the world, that I play music created by great composers of different countries, that I travel all over the world and share my beloved music with people of different countries and nationalities – but I want all the people who appreciate my art to know that I am a Jew, that I belong to the People of Israel. That’s why now I feel a natural desire to travel around the world with an Israeli passport.”

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