Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich was a Russian cellist and conductor, bor… Read Full Bio ↴Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich was a Russian cellist and conductor, born March 27, 1927, in Baku USSR. He is considered one of the greatest cellists ever.

First concerts

Rostropovich gave his first cello concert in 1942. From 1943 to 1948, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory, where he became professor of cello in 1956. He won first prize at the international Music Awards of Prague and Budapest in 1947, 1949 and 1950. In 1950, at the age of 23 he was awarded the Stalin Prize, then considered the highest distinction in the Soviet Union. At that time, Rostropovich was already well known in his country and while actively pursuing his solo career, he taught at the Leningrad Conservatory (now Saint-Petersburg) and the Moscow Conservatory. In 1955, he married Galina Vishnevskaya, soprano at the Bolshoi Theatre.

His international career started in 1964 in the then West Germany. As of this date, he went on several tours in the western Europe and met several composers, including Benjamin Britten. In 1967, he conducted Tchaikovsky's opera Eugene Onegin at the Bolshoi, thus letting forth his passion for both the role of conductor and the opera.

Exile

Rostropovich fought for art without borders, freedom of speech and democratic values, resulting in a reprimand from the Soviet regime. His friendship with Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and his support for dissidents led to official disgrace in the early 1970s. He was banned from several musical ensembles and his Soviet citizenship was revoked in 1978 because of his public opposition to the USSR's restriction of cultural freedom. Rostropovich left the USSR in 1974 with his wife and children and settled in the United States.

Further career

His talent inspired compositions from numerous composers such as Shostakovich, Khachaturian, Prokofiev, Britten, Dutilleux, Bernstein and Penderecki. He and fellow Soviet composer Dmitri Kabalevsky completed Prokofiev's Cello Concertino after the composer's death. Rostropovich gave the first performances of both Shostakovich's cello concertos. Rostropovich introduced Shostakovich's First Concerto to London and began an association with Benjamin Britten. Britten wrote the Cello Sonata, 3 Solo Suites and the Cello Symphony with Rostropovich in mind.

From 1977 until 1994, he was musical director and conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington, DC. He is also the director and founder of many music festivals (Aldeburgh, Rostropovitch Festival), while still performing with some of the most famous musicians such as Sviatoslav Richter and Vladimir Horowitz.

His impromptu performance during the Fall of the Berlin Wall as events unfolded earned him international fame and was shown on television throughout the world.

His Russian citizenship was restored in 1990, although he and his family had already become American citizens.

Rostropovich received many international awards, including the French Legion of Honor, and honorary doctorates from the most prestigious international universities. He was an activist, fighting for freedom of expression in art and politics. An ambassador for the UNESCO, he supported many educational and cultural projects. Rostropovich and his wife, Galina Vishnevskaya, started a foundation to stimulate social projects and activities. Rostropovich Home Museum opened on March 4, 2002, in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Rostropovich died in Moscow on April 27th, 2007.

Rostropovich's instrument was the 1711 Duport Stradivarius, considered to be one of the greatest instruments ever made.