The Pletnev Dilemma

[khiemtran]

So, DG has a budget Archiv set out featuring Mikhail Pletnev and the Russian National Orchestra playing the complete Tchaikovsky Symphonies, plus some of the Overtures and the Marche Slave. On the face of it, this would be a good fit for me, as I'd like to learn more about Tchaikovsky's more serious works, the price is certainly right, I'm a self-confessed completist, and, hey, who better for Tchaikovsky than the Russians?

Reviews for the recordings seemed to be mixed, so I was doing some googling to try to find out more, and I came to Pletnev's wikipedia page.

Where it said, under a section titled "Arrest":

Pletnev was arrested on 6 July 2010 in Thailand, where he has a dwelling, for allegedly participating in a child prostitution ring. He was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old male in Pattaya. Pletnev, who was released on bail, denied the charges.[4] He cancelled appearances at the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh Festival in order to prepare his defence.

Actually, I did remember hearing about this on the radio, but didn't recognize the name at the time.

Some more googling, and I find this article, where he gives his side of the story. As far as I can tell, after getting bail and then leaving Thailand, he does not seem to have returned to Thailand and I'm guessing the court case remains unresolved.

So, I'm not sure what to do. On the one hand, I feel strongly about the importance of the presumption of innocence, on the other it feels wrong to give money to a possible child molester. And at the same time, it feels wrong to gain enjoyment from the music of a child molester (I feel somewhat similarly about Karl Böhm's Mozart), even though there shouldn't necessarily be a connection between enjoyment of the music and the personal lives of those involved in it (although I could probably do without the mental image of a child prostitution ring while listening to said music, even if he does turn out to be innocent). And then, of course, even if he was guilty, he's only one person out of many involved in the creation of the work, and where do you draw the line?


Update: after some more googling, it appears he has in fact returned to Thailand at least once since then and been granted further permission to leave the country. The last news I was able to find was around August this year.

Comments

[carl-allery.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I sympathise with your dilemma. After a bit of a google, the only extra info I found was reports in late July of his Thai visa being withdrawn and an official saying that even if he 'won' the case, he would not be allowed back as his presence was detrimental to the image of the country. There are references to 2 other times when he was questioned or called as a witness in child sex cases.

So, he does, in fact, seem to have a penchant for younger males, at least 14-16 yr olds rather than pre-pubescent children. Yes, he could have been an unsuspecting stooge, and it's certainly possible that he might have believed a 14yr old was 15. It's also impossible to know if the boy declared himself willing at the time since 'rape' is applied to any illegal intercourse.

All these issues aside, what you're looking at are not solo performances or even performances of Pletnev's own compositions, but simply his direction of a group of musicians playing Tchaikovsky's music. My own opinion would be that his musical career, especially where it involves a group effort, can be separated from his personal issues. If the RNO play well with him at the helm, then I think you can legitimately consider it to be at least as much their talent as his. Even a great conductor cannot make bad music or substandard musicians good. But a great conductor can enable good musicians to pull out a great performance. I'd say go for the recordings and just consider them the best performances of a great orchestra. :)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

True, although the RNO itself is in many respects Pletnev's own creation. I guess there's also the question (getting into a Crime and Punishment theme) of whether it's society's duty to punish individuals beyond what the judicial system does. If you wouldn't buy bread from a man who has served time, obviously that's not going to bode well for any rehabilitation. And if you wouldn't buy bread from someone merely charged with a crime, then there is punishment before guilt has been established.

On a more personal level though, it's probably more about how much I enjoy the music, and whether the knowledge of these charges alters that enjoyment.