piano prodigy who won major competition at age 14

Malofeev is far from the only Russian to have had a performance or event cancelled in the last two-and-a-half weeks, since the invasion began.

'What about feel bad for the two million people who are leaving and getting bombed and dying?' 'Think of all the Ukrainian pianists who just got bombed, you know what I mean?' he said.

'I think it's extremely important, you know, when people dissent, that they express themselves,' he said.īut he thought it still wouldn't have been sensitive to let him play this week, and that he was annoyed to be asked if he 'feels bad' for Malofeev. He said it is meaningful to him that Malofeev has spoken against the war. 'I think that right now is a very sensitive time,' said Michael Schwec, the head of the Quebec branch of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, which also called for Malofeev not to appear. Others pointed out the long history of ethnic discrimination against broad groups, like Japanese Canadians during World War II, for state actions unrelated to them.īut Montreal Ukrainians said this week that to them, it's more a matter of taste and timing than creating political pressure, let alone condoning a long-term slippery slope. Those who have studied and organized major sanction campaigns, such as those against Israel and South Africa, say they don't consider boycotting people like Malofeev a constructive or ethical way to pressure a state. īut part of the debate this week is over how weighty - or how simple - this kind of decision really is. This isn’t going to win the Russian people over, it will cause Western hate & help Putin. Why cancel good people because of their nationality? “Alexander Malofeev,has been outspoken against the invasion of Ukraine, where he said he has some family members” A Globe and Mail columnist called Malofeev's cancellations ' discrimination.' It's a worrisome and knee-jerk pattern, people argued. performance of Tchaikovsky, a long-dead Russian composer, was nixed. The news also came amid a spate of stories of regular Russians, such as restaurant owners in New York, being punished over the Russian state's actions.Įven a U.K. What further upset many critics is that Malofeev, 20, has been outspoken against the invasion, which carries serious risks right now in Russia. If virtuoso Alexander Malofeev isn't sponsored by or representing his state, many argued - which he doesn't appear to be - then he should be left alone, as an independent citizen who's only well known because of his musical talent. 'It's absurd,' said one person reacting on social media, while others called it 'gross,' 'dangerous' and even 'bigoted.'

When it cancelled a young Russian's piano performance this week, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra was reacting to a wave of protest from the Ukrainian community.īut after announcing the decision, it was suddenly buffeted by a new wave of protest - in the opposite direction, as hundreds of people argued this wasn't a useful reaction to the invasion of Ukraine.

Piano prodigy who won major competition at age 14