A Henry Kissinger Playlist

One of the proudest moments of my life took place at the 2016 Opera News Awards. Seated at the Plaza Hotel for the annual gala, I realized Henry Kissinger’s table was cater-corner to mine. At one point, seeing him get up, I scurried out of my seat under the guise of going to the restroom. As I passed the statesman, much in the way of a chariot race out of “Ben Hur,” I sunk the heel of my right foot onto his left. Hard, but not so hard that I couldn’t play it off as an embarrassing accident when I turned around, hand on my heart, to excuse myself. 

As Key Playerson told VAN, “No one who’s studied or appreciated classical music has ever gone on to oppress or hurt other people.” With that in mind, we present this tribute to a great lover of classical music, and an even greater war criminal.