Thursday (8/5) on his Telegraph (London) blog, Neil Midgley reports, “Mikhail Pletnev, the celebrated Russian pianist and conductor, has bowed to what was perhaps inevitable and withdrawn from the Proms. Early last month, Pletnev was arrested in Thailand and charged with molesting a 14-year-old boy. This morning, the Russian National Orchestra put out a press release cancelling Pletnev’s appearances at the Proms on August 18th and the Edinburgh Festival on the 19th. It included a quote from Pletnev protesting his innocence: ‘I do not wish to overshadow the wonderful music making of the RNO and their tour in the UK with the current accusations surrounding my person. I will not comment on the ongoing investigation, but I hope the matter will be resolved speedily and it will be clear that I am innocent of the accusations against me.’ The BBC is staying very much at arm’s length, forwarding the RNO’s statement to journalists without further comment. … Pletnev himself says that he hopes to return to the UK with the RNO soon—but only time and Thai justice will decide that.”
Posted August 5, 2010
