Photo: Sasha Arutyunova for The New York Times

World-known pianist Evgeny Kissin said in an interview with that he would not perform in Turkey until its government acknowledges that the mass murder of Armenians in 1915 was a genocide.

“I personally believe that if people in such countries learn that some musicians refuse to play there because they are dismayed by what their rulers do, that will make intelligent-thinking people more aware,” he said.

He hastened to add that he does “not judge or condemn colleagues who perform in totalitarian countries. — it’s a personal choice.”

Kissin will perform in a concert devoted to Jewish composers on Wednesday at Carnegie Hall.