Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Rostropovich
Mstislav Leopoldovich "Slava" Rostropovichwas a Soviet and Russian cellist and conductor. He is considered to be one of the great cellists of the 20th century. In addition to his interpretations and technique, he was well known for both inspiring and commissioning new works, which enlarged the cello repertoire more than any cellist before or since. He gave the premieres of over 100 pieces, forming long-standing friendships and artistic partnerships with composers including Dmitri Shostakovich, Sergei Prokofiev, Henri Dutilleux, Witold Lutosławski,...
NationalityRussian
ProfessionCellist
Date of Birth27 March 1927
CountryRussian Federation
In 1948 the first severe crash occurred in my life when Stalin put out his decree on formalism. There was a bulletin board in the Moscow Conservatory. They posted the decree, which said Shostakovichs compositions and Prokofievs were no longer to be played.
I came to Moscow when I was 5 years old from Baku. To walk all night in Moscow will bring back my youth to me.
You know creators, composers, need a palette for life, a color for life.
People are craving this great progress in electronics, going after computers, the Internet, etc. It's a giant progress technologically. But they must have a balance of soul, a balance for human beauty. That means art has an important role.
It is my aim, my destination in life to make the cello as beloved an instrument as the violin and piano.
Explain to me, please, why in our literature and art so often people absolutely incompetent in this field have the final word,
I never studied, but I had the best teachers,
I like coming to the United States because the United States played an important role in my life.
There is too much emphasis on technical perfection nowadays, and not enough on what music is actually about - irony, joy, human suffering, love.
All my life I wanted to play music with love to every member of the audience.
I would rather have ideas and some difficulties of technique than a perfect technique and no ideas.
The cello is a hero because of its register - its tenor voice. It is a masculine instrument, whereas the violin is feminine because of its soprano pitch. When the cello enters in the Dvorak Concerto, it is like a great orator.