The name of Mstislav Rostropovich is forever inscribed in the history of music of the XX century. He was distinguished not only by the highest performing talent, but also by his principle: Rostropovich opposed the totalitarian regime, for which he was expelled from the Soviet Union. The musician returned to his homeland after the collapse of socialism.
From the biography of Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich was born on March 27, 1927 in Baku. His ancestors were musicians. This determined the fate of the gifted child. In the mid-30s, Rostropovich studied at the Gnesins school in the capital of the USSR. It was one of the elite musical educational institutions of the country.
When the war began, Mstislav was evacuated. His fate was connected with Orenburg. When his father died, the young man had to become the head of the family. Already at the age of fifteen, he teaches at a music school and earns a living.
In those same years, Rostropovich began to create his own works: a poem for cello, a prelude for a piano, and a piano concerto. During the war years, a young musician travels a lot around the country. Speaking with the Maly Theater Orchestra, Rostropovich performed Tchaikovsky. He had given concerts on collective farms, hospitals, and military units.
At the age of 16, Mstislav became a student at the Moscow Conservatory, where he studied playing the cello and received the skills of a composer. Here Rostropovich meets Shostakovich. The maestro appreciated the performing skills of the young musician and offered him individual lessons. However, Rostropovich did not begin to compose music.
After graduating from the conservatory and graduate school, Rostropovich was engaged in teaching. He spent a quarter of a century at the Moscow Conservatory and several years in the city on the Neva. For thirty years, the musician has raised many professional musicians. Many of his students subsequently became professors of prestigious educational institutions around the world.
Career of a virtuoso musician
The repertoire of Rostropovich was diverse. He was a virtuoso cellist, and also an opera and symphony conductor. Dozens of the best world-class composers wrote works for this particular musician. On the account of Rostropovich - dozens of completed compositions for cello.
Mstislav Leopoldovich began conducting conductor practice in 1957. Under his leadership, Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin was a huge success. As a cellist Rostropovich made many tours around the USSR.
The wife of the musician and conductor was Galina Vishnevskaya, a famous opera singer. He often performed with his wife.
In 1951, Rostropovich was awarded the Stalin Prize, and in 1965 received the Lenin Prize. However, later he became objectionable to the authorities. One of the reasons was his help to Solzhenitsyn, whom Rostropovich sheltered at his dacha. The musician compiled an open letter in defense of the disgraced writer and sent it to the newspaper Pravda. After that, Rostropovich began to have problems.
The press began to ignore the musician. He was forbidden to give concerts and go on tour. He turned into a sworn enemy of Soviet power. In 1974, Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya were expelled from the USSR. Four years later, they were deprived of Soviet citizenship. Together with parents, the daughters of Rostropovich, Olga and Elena, left their homeland.
