BY Xinhua,
Los Angeles : A renowned Polish pianist created a furore in his debut at Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles by attacking US military presence overseas, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday.
Krystian Zimerman, widely regarded as one of the finest pianists in the world, said he would never perform in America again before playing the final work in his concert Sunday night at the landmark music hall.
According to the report, the pianist sat silently at the piano for a moment, almost began to play, but then turned to the audience, saying that he could no longer play in a country whose military wants to control the whole world.
“Get your hands off of my country,” Zimerman reportedly said. The pianist also made reference to the US military detention camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
After Zimerman made the remarks, about 30 or 40 people in the audience walked out, other remained but booed or yelled for the pianist to shut up and play the piano, but many more cheered, the report said.
Zimerman responded to the cheers from the audience by saying that America has far finer things to export than the military, and he thanked those who support democracy.