Editing Mstislav Rostropovich

{{Short description|Russian-American cellist and conductor (1927–2007)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{family name hatnote|Leopoldovich|Rostropovich|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Mstislav Rostropovich
| image              = RIAN archive 438589 Mstislav Rostropovich.jpg
| alt                = 
| caption            = Rostropovich in 1991
| native_name        = Мстислав Ростропович
| native_name_lang   = ru
| birth_name         = Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1927|03|27|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijani SSR]], Soviet Union
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2007|04|27|1927|03|27|df=y}}
| death_place        = Moscow, Russia
| nationality        = Soviet, American, Russian, Swiss
| occupation         = {{flatlist|
* Cellist
* conductor
* teacher
* political activist
}}
| spouse             = {{marriage|[[Galina Vishnevskaya]]|1955}}
| children           = 3; including [[Elena Rostropovich]]
}}
'''Mstislav Leopoldovich Rostropovich'''{{efn|1={{langx|ru|Мстислав Леопольдович Ростропович|link=no|italic=no}}, {{IPA|ru|rəstrɐˈpovʲɪtɕ|pron}}}} (27 March 1927{{snd}}27 April 2007) was a Russian [[Cello|cellist]] and [[conducting|conductor]]. 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 [[List of compositions dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich|inspired and premiered]] over 100 pieces,<ref name="ria">{{cite web|url=https://ria.ru/20120327/606525952.html|title=Мстислав Леопольдович Ростропович. Биографическая справка|date=2012-03-27|lang=ru|work=[[RIA Novosti]]}}</ref> forming long-standing friendships and artistic partnerships with composers including [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], [[Sergei Prokofiev]], [[Henri Dutilleux]], [[Witold Lutosławski]], [[Olivier Messiaen]], [[Luciano Berio]], [[Krzysztof Penderecki]], [[Alfred Schnittke]], [[Norbert Moret]], [[Andreas Makris]], [[Leonard Bernstein]], [[Aram Khachaturian]], and [[Benjamin Britten]].

Rostropovich was internationally recognized as a staunch advocate of [[human rights]], and was awarded the 1974 Award of the [[International League of Human Rights]]. He was married to the soprano [[Galina Vishnevskaya]] and had two daughters, Olga and [[Elena Rostropovich]]. He received numerous accolades, including a [[Polar Music Prize]].

==Early years==
[[File:Building on Rostropovichs Street 19 (2).jpg|thumbnail|left|House in Baku, where Rostropovich was born]]
Mstislav Rostropovich was born in [[Baku]], [[Azerbaijan SSR]], to parents who had moved from [[Orenburg]] in Russia: {{Interlanguage link|Leopold Vitoldovich Rostropovich|ru|3=Ростропович, Леопольд Витольдович}}, a renowned cellist and former student of [[Pablo Casals]],<ref name=Sony>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/rostropovich/bio.html |title=Mstislav Rostropovich biography |publisher=Sony Classical |access-date=30 April 2007|url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070206193643/http://www.sonyclassical.com/artists/rostropovich/bio.html |archive-date=6 February 2007 }}</ref> and Sofiya Nikolaevna Fedotova-Rostropovich, a talented pianist. Leopold (1892–1942) was born in [[Voronezh]] to {{Interlanguage link|Witold Rostropowicz|ru|3=Ростропович, Витольд Ганнибалович}}, a composer of [[Polish nobility|Polish noble]] descent with distant [[Belarus]]ian roots, and Matilda Rostropovich (née Pule) of German and Huguenot descent. The Polish part of his family bore the [[Bogoria coat of arms]], which was located at the family palace in [[Skotniki, Masovian Voivodeship|Skotniki]].<ref name="ger">{{cite web|url=http://sovet.geraldika.ru/page/4311|title=РОСТРОПОВИЧИ (дополненная версия родового герба)|author= Дмитрий Иванов|authorlink=:ru:Иванов, Дмитрий Валерьевич |lang=ru|work=Геральдика.ру|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906090250/http://sovet.geraldika.ru/page/4311 |archive-date=6 September 2013 }}</ref>
	
Mstislav's mother Sofiya Fedotova, of Russian descent,<ref name="or">{{cite web|url=https://www.vecherniyorenburg.ru/1710477/blagorodnyy-romantik/|title=Благородный романтик|date=2022-03-19|lang=ru|website=Vecherniyorenburg.ru}}</ref> was the daughter of musicians and herself a conservatory-trained pianist.<ref>{{cite web|title=Софья Николаевна Федотова-Ростропович|lang=ru|url=http://kultura.orb.ru/record/view?id=147}}</ref> Her elder sister, Nadezhda, married cellist Semyon Kozolupov, who was thus Rostropovich's uncle by marriage.<ref name=eliz>Elizabeth Wilson, [https://books.google.com/books?id=QhuIHg3mkGQC&q=kozolupov&pg=PT31 Mstislav Rostropovich: Cellist, Teacher, Legend]. Retrieved 2 June 2016.</ref>

Rostropovich grew up in Baku and spent his youth there. During [[World War II]] his family moved back to Orenburg and then in 1943 to Moscow.<ref>{{cite news | title=Mstislav Rostropovich: Obituary |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1717247.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081013084244/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1717247.ece |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 October 2008 | work=The Times | date=28 April 2007 | access-date=4 August 2007 | location=London}}</ref>

At age four, Rostropovich began studying piano with his mother. He began learning the cello at age eight from his father. In 1943, at age 16, he entered the [[Moscow Conservatory]], where he studied cello with his uncle Semyon Kozolupov, piano with Nikolai Kuvshinnikov, and composition with [[Vissarion Shebalin]]. His teachers also included [[Dmitri Shostakovich]]. In 1945, he came to prominence as a cellist when he won the gold medal in the Soviet Union's first ever competition for young musicians.<ref name=Sony/> He graduated from the Conservatory in 1948 and became professor of cello there in 1956.{{fact|date=January 2025}}

==First concerts==
[[File:RIAN archive 6848 Mstislav Rostropovich.jpg|thumb|Mstislav Rostropovich, 18 September 1959]]
Rostropovich gave his first cello concert in 1942. He won first prize at the international Music Awards of [[Prague Spring International Music Competition|Prague]] and [[Budapest]] in 1947, 1949 and 1950. In 1950, at age 23, he was awarded what was then considered the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, the [[State Stalin Prize|Stalin Prize]].<ref name=Lrytas>{{cite news | url=http://www.lrytas.lt/?id=11776666481176558153&view=4 | title=Mirė maestro M. Rostropovičius | publisher=Lietuvos rytas | date=28 April 2007 | language=lt | access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref> At that time, Rostropovich was already well known in his country and, while actively pursuing his solo career, taught at the [[Leningrad Conservatory]] and the [[Moscow Conservatory]]. In 1955, he married [[Galina Vishnevskaya]], a leading [[soprano]] at the [[Bolshoi Theatre]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=9925&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html | title=Biography of Mstislav Rostropovitch | publisher=UNESCO |access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref>

Rostropovich had working relationships with Soviet composers of the era. In 1949 [[Sergei Prokofiev]] wrote his [[Cello Sonata (Prokofiev)|Cello Sonata]], Op. 119, for the 22-year-old Rostropovich, who gave the first performance in 1950, with [[Sviatoslav Richter]]. Prokofiev also dedicated his [[Symphony-Concerto (Prokofiev)|Symphony-Concerto]] to him; this was premiered in 1952. Rostropovich and [[Dmitry Kabalevsky]] completed Prokofiev's [[Cello Concertino (Prokofiev)|Cello Concertino]] after the composer's death. Shostakovich wrote both his [[Cello Concerto No. 1 (Shostakovich)|first]] and [[Cello Concerto No. 2 (Shostakovich)|second]] [[cello concerto]]s for Rostropovich, who also gave their first performances.<ref name="Judd 2021">{{cite web | last=Judd | first=Timothy | title=Shostakovich's Second Cello Concerto: Written for Mstislav Rostropovich | website=The Listeners' Club | date=2021-01-18 | url=https://thelistenersclub.com/2021/01/18/shostakovichs-second-cello-concerto-written-for-mstislav-rostropovich/ | access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref>

Rostropovich went on several tours in Western Europe and met several composers, including [[Benjamin Britten]], who dedicated his Cello Sonata, three Solo Suites, and his [[Cello Symphony (Britten)|Cello Symphony]] to Rostropovich. Rostropovich gave their first performances, and the two had a special affinity; Rostropovich's family described him as "always smiling" when discussing "Ben", and on his deathbed he was said to have expressed no fear as he and Britten would, he believed, be reunited in Heaven.<ref name="BBC4">{{cite video | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b015j8g5 | title=Rostropovich: The Genius of the Cello | publisher=[[BBC Four]] | date=13 December 2011 | people=[[John Bridcut]], [[Galina Vishnevskaya]], [[Elena Rostropovich|Elena and Olga Rostropovich]], [[Seiji Ozawa]], [[Gennady Rozhdestvensky]], [[Natalia Gutman]], and [[Mischa Maisky]] | medium=Television}}</ref>

Britten was also renowned as a pianist and together they recorded, among other works, [[Franz Schubert|Schubert]]'s [[Arpeggione Sonata|Sonata for Arpeggione and Piano in A minor]]. His daughter claimed that this recording moved her father to tears of joy even on his deathbed.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://beethovenfestivalorchestra.org/slava-courageous-humanitarian/| title=Slava! Courageous Humanitarian
| publisher=Beethoven Festival Orchestra| date=1 September 2007 | access-date=2008-08-17}}</ref>

Rostropovich also had artistic partnerships with [[Henri Dutilleux]] (''[[Tout un monde lointain...]]'' for cello and orchestra, ''Trois strophes sur le nom de Sacher'' for solo cello),<ref name="DUTILLEUX Trois Strophes">{{cite web | last=International | first=MusicWeb | title=DUTILLEUX – Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher, Tout un monde lointain; DEBUSSY – Sonata for cello and piano Harmonia Mundi HMC902209 [BBu] Classical Music Reviews: April 2016 | website=MusicWeb-International | date=2022-05-05 | url=http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2016/Apr/Dutilleux_lontain_HMC902209.htm | access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref> [[Witold Lutosławski]] ([[Cello Concerto (Lutosławski)|Cello Concerto]], ''Sacher-Variation'' for solo cello),<ref name="Kenneth Woods Slava and Sacher">{{cite web | title=Slava and Sacher – conductor | website=Kenneth Woods | date=2007-04-30 | url=https://kennethwoods.net/blog1/2007/04/30/slava-and-sacher/ | access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref> [[Krzysztof Penderecki]] (cello concerto n°2, ''Largo'' for cello and orchestra, ''Per Slava'' for solo cello, sextet for piano, clarinet, horn, violin, viola and cello),<ref name="HarrisonParrott Penderecki">{{cite web | title=Krzysztof Penderecki (1933 – 2020) | website=HarrisonParrott | date=2018-02-27 | url=https://www.harrisonparrott.com/artists/krzysztof-penderecki-1933-2020 | access-date=2023-05-04}}</ref> [[Luciano Berio]] (''Ritorno degli snovidenia'' for cello and thirty instruments, ''Les mots sont allés...'' for solo cello),<ref name="Luciano Berio">{{cite web | title=Universal Edition | website=Universal Edition | url=https://www.universaledition.com/les-mots-sont-alles...-for-cello-berio-luciano-ue18399 | access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref> and [[Olivier Messiaen]] (''[[Concert à quatre]]'' for piano, cello, oboe, flute and orchestra).<ref name="Wikipedia Concert à quatre">{{cite web | title=Concert à quatre | website=Wikipedia | date=2009-02-08 | url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert_%C3%A0_quatre | access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref>{{Circular reference|date=February 2025}}<ref name="celo">{{cite web | title=Conversation with Mstislav Rostropovich (April, 2006)| website=CelloBello|author=Tim Janof| date=5 August 2019| url=https://www.cellobello.org/cello-blog/interviews/conversation-with-mstislav-rostropovich-april-2006/| access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref>

Rostropovich took private lessons in conducting with [[Leo Ginzburg]],<ref>Wilson: p. 34</ref> and first conducted in public in Gorky in November 1962, performing the four entractes from ''[[Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District (opera)|Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District]]'' and Shostakovich's orchestration of Mussorgsky's ''Songs and Dances of Death'' with Vishnevskaya singing.<ref>Wilson: p. 188</ref>

In 1967, at the invitation of the Bolshoi Theatre's director [[Mikhail Chulaki]], he conducted [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s opera ''[[Eugene Onegin (opera)|Eugene Onegin]]'' at the Bolshoi.<ref>Wilson: pp. 287–289.</ref>

==August 1968 proms==
Rostropovich played at [[The Proms]] on the night of 21 August 1968. He played with the [[USSR State Symphony Orchestra]]; it was the orchestra's debut performance at the Proms. The programme featured Czech composer [[Antonín Dvořák]]'s [[Cello Concerto (Dvořák)|Cello Concerto in B minor]] and took place on the same day that the [[Warsaw Pact]] [[Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia|invaded Czechoslovakia]] to end [[Alexander Dubček]]'s [[Prague Spring]].<ref name="BBC, 1 September 2007">{{cite news | url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/foronenightonly/pip/jqmqo/| title=For One Night Only – The Prom of Peace | publisher=BBC Radio 4 | date=1 September 2007 | access-date=2008-08-17}}</ref> After the performance, which had been preceded by heckling and demonstrations, the orchestra and soloist were cheered by the Proms audience.<ref>Wilson: pp. 292–293</ref> Rostropovich stood and held aloft the conductor's score of the Dvořák as a gesture of solidarity for the composer's homeland and the city of Prague.<ref name="Proms August 1968">{{cite web | title=1968 Proms | website=YourClassical from American Public Media and Minnesota Public Radio | date=2019-08-21 | url=https://www.yourclassical.org/episode/2019/08/21/1968-proms | access-date=2023-05-03}}</ref>

==Exile==
[[File:Mstislav Rostropovich 1978.jpg|210px|thumb|Rostropovich playing the ''[[Duport Stradivarius]]'' at the White House in 1978]]
Rostropovich fought for art without borders, [[freedom of speech]], and democratic values, resulting in harassment from the Soviet regime. An early example was in 1948, when he was a student at the [[Moscow Conservatory]]. In response to the 10 February 1948 decree on "formalist" composers, his teacher [[Dmitri Shostakovich]] was dismissed from his professorships in Leningrad and Moscow; the 21-year-old Rostropovich quit the conservatory in protest.<ref>Wilson: p. 45</ref> Rostropovich also smuggled to the West the manuscript of Shostakovich's [[Symphony No. 13 (Shostakovich)|Symphony No. 13]], which set verses by [[Yevgeny Yevtushenko]]; the subject of its first movement was the [[Babi Yar massacre]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-28-me-rostropovich28-story.html |title=Mstislav Rostropovich, 80; Russian cello virtuoso, iconic political figure - Los Angeles Times |website=www.latimes.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805032346/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-apr-28-me-rostropovich28-story.html |archive-date=2020-08-05}}</ref>

In 1970, Rostropovich sheltered [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]], who otherwise would have had nowhere to go, in his own home. His friendship with Solzhenitsyn and support for dissidents led to official disgrace in the early 1970s. As a result, Rostropovich was restricted from foreign touring,<ref>Wilson: p. 320</ref> as was his wife, Galina Vishnevskaya, and his appearances performing in Moscow were curtailed, as increasingly were his appearances in such major cities as Leningrad and Kiev.<ref>Wilson: p. 329</ref>

Rostropovich left the Soviet Union in 1974 with his wife and children and settled in the United States. He was banned from touring his homeland with foreign orchestras and, in 1977, the Soviet leadership instructed musicians from the Soviet bloc not to take part in an international competition he had organised.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://bukovskyarchive.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/12-may-1977-958-a/|title=12 May 1977*, 958-A|date=5 July 2016|website=wordpress.com|access-date=16 March 2018|archive-date=16 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180316214830/https://bukovskyarchive.wordpress.com/2016/07/05/12-may-1977-958-a/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 1978, Rostropovich was deprived of his Soviet citizenship because of his public opposition to the Soviet Union's restriction of cultural freedom. He did not return to the Soviet Union until 1990.<ref name=Lrytas/>

==Further career==
[[File:RIAN archive 474794 Mstislav Rostropovich, chief conductor and art director of U.S. National Symphony Orchestra.jpg|thumb|Mstislav Rostropovich, chief conductor of U.S. National Symphony Orchestra, greets the audience in Bolshoi Hall of the Tchaikovsky Conservatory in Moscow, 13 February 1990]]
On 17 December 1988, Rostropovich gave a special concert at [[Barbican Hall]] in London, after postponing a trip to India for the [[1988 Armenian earthquake]] relief program. The event was part of an effort called ''Musicians for Armenia,'' which was expected to raise more than $450,000 from donations worldwide, including gifts from musicians, concert proceeds and film and recording rights. Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales attended the concert in the sold-out 2,026-seat hall.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Concert in London For Quake Survivors |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/19/arts/a-concert-in-london-for-quake-survivors.html |newspaper=The New York Times|date=1988-12-19 }}</ref>

On 7 February 1989, a cello concert was organized by the [[Armenian Relief Society]] and the Volunteers Technical Assistance (VTA) for the victims of the earthquake. At the concert, Rostropovich played his favorite cello repertoire, including Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor; Haydn's cello concerti in C and D; Prokofiev's Symphony-Concerto; and Shostakovich's two cello concerti. The evening raised awareness and helped hundreds of earthquake victims put food on their tables. The concert was held at the Kennedy Center and over 2,300 were in attendance.<ref>{{cite web |title=Armenian Relief Society Was at the Center of Earthquake Relief Efforts |url=http://asbarez.com/176551/armenian-relief-society-was-at-the-center-of-earthquake-relief-efforts/ |website=Asbarez.com|date=2018-12-06 }}</ref>

From 1977 to 1994, Rostropovich was music director and conductor of the [[National Symphony Orchestra]] in Washington, D.C., while still performing with famous musicians such as [[Martha Argerich]], [[Sviatoslav Richter]], and [[Vladimir Horowitz]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9002382/National-Symphony-Orchestra | title=National Symphony Orchestra | encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica Online | author=Encyclopædia Britannica | date=27 April 2007 | access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref> He was also the director and founder of the [[Mstislav Rostropovich Baku International Festival]] and a regular performer at the [[Aldeburgh Festival]].<ref>[http://www.brittenpears.org/?page=research/archive/special/aldeburgh.html/ ''Rostropovich remembered'' – ''Britten-Pears Foundation'', Undated].Retrieved on 2007-07-31.</ref>

His impromptu performance during the fall of the [[Berlin Wall]] as events unfolded was reported throughout the world.<ref name=BBC>{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6598895.stm | title=Russian maestro Rostropovich dies | work=BBC News | access-date=2007-04-30 | date=2007-04-27}}</ref> His Soviet citizenship was restored in 1990. When, in August 1991, news footage was broadcast of [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|tanks in the streets of Moscow]], Rostropovich responded with a characteristically brave, impetuous and patriotic gesture: he bought a plane ticket to Japan on a flight that stopped at Moscow, talked his way out of the airport and went to join [[Boris Yeltsin]] in the hope that his fame might make some difference to the chance of tanks moving in.<ref>Wilson: p. 345</ref> Rostropovich supported Yeltsin during the [[1993 Russian constitutional crisis|1993 constitutional crisis]] and conducted the [[National Symphony Orchestra (United States)|National Symphony Orchestra]] in [[Red Square]] at the height of the crackdown.<ref>{{cite news | author=Steven Erlanger | title=Isolated Foes of Yeltsin Are Sad but Still Defiant | url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CEEDF1039F934A1575AC0A965958260 | work=The New York Times | date=27 September 1993 | access-date=2008-05-29}}</ref>

In 1993, he was instrumental in the foundation of the [[Kronberg Academy]] and was a patron until his death. He commissioned [[Rodion Shchedrin]] to compose the opera ''[[Lolita (opera)|Lolita]]'' and conducted its premiere in 1994 at the [[Royal Swedish Opera]]. Rostropovich received many international awards, including the [[French Legion of Honor]] and honorary doctorates from many universities. He was an activist, fighting for freedom of expression in art and politics. An [[UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador|ambassador for the UNESCO]], he supported many educational and cultural projects.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://portal.unesco.org/en/ev.php-URL_ID=8327&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html | title=UNESCO Celebrity Advocates: Mstislav Rostropovitch | publisher=UNESCO | access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref> Rostropovich performed several times in [[Madrid]] and was a close friend of [[Queen Sofía of Spain]].

With his wife, Galina Vishnevskaya, he founded the [[Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya Foundation]], a publicly supported nonprofit [[501(c)(3) organization]] based in Washington, D.C., in 1991 to improve the health and future of children in the former Soviet Union. The ''Rostropovich Home Museum'' opened on 4 March 2002, in Baku.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_articles/112_rostropovich.html | title=Rostropovich The Home Museum | publisher=Azerbaijan International | author=Gulnar Aydamirova | date=Summer 2003 | access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref> The couple visited Azerbaijan occasionally. Rostropovich also presented cello master classes at the [[Azerbaijan State Conservatory]]. Together they formed a valuable art collection. In September 2007, when it was slated to be sold at auction by [[Sotheby's]] in London and dispersed, Russian billionaire [[Alisher Usmanov]] stepped forward and negotiated the purchase of all 450 lots to keep the collection intact and bring it to Russia as a memorial to Rostropovich. Christie's reported that the buyer paid a "substantially higher" sum than the £20 million pre-sale estimate<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/6999330.stm News.BBC.co.uk], 17 September 2007.</ref>

In 2006, he was featured in [[Alexander Sokurov]]'s documentary ''Elegy of a life: Rostropovich, Vishnevskaya''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931334.html?categoryid=31&cs=1|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100923190909/http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117931334.html?categoryid=31&cs=1|url-status=dead|title=Elegy Of Life: Rostropovich. Vishnevskaya. Review - Read Variety's Analysis Of The Movie Elegy Of Life: Rostropovich. Vishnevskaya.|archive-date=23 September 2010|website=Variety.com|access-date=27 March 2025}}</ref>

==Later life==
 [[File:Rostropovich with BACHBow 1999.jpg|thumb|Rostropovich with [[curved bow|BACH.Bow]] in 1999]]
Rostropovich's health declined in 2006, with the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reporting rumours of unspecified surgery in Geneva and later treatment for an aggravated ulcer. Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Rostropovich to discuss details of a celebration the Kremlin was planning for 27 March 2007, Rostropovich's 80th birthday. Rostropovich attended the celebration but was reportedly in frail health.

Though Rostropovich's last home was in Paris, he maintained residences in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, [[Maida Vale#Notable people|London]], [[Lausanne]], and [[Jordanville, New York]]. He was admitted to a Paris hospital at the end of January 2007, but then decided to fly to Moscow, where he had been receiving care.<ref>{{cite news|title=Mstislav Rostropovich, Cellist and Conductor, Dies|work=The New York Times|author=Allan Kozinn|date=27 April 2007|author-link=Allan Kozinn}}</ref> On 6 February 2007 Rostropovich was admitted to a hospital in Moscow. "He is just feeling unwell", Natalya Dolezhale, Rostropovich's secretary in Moscow, said.<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=https://www.intermedia.ru/news/191993|title=Мстислав Ростропович попал в больницу|date=2007-02-07|lang=ru|work=[[InterMedia (agency)|InterMedia]]}}</ref> Asked if there was serious cause for concern about his health, she said: "No, right now there is no cause whatsoever." She refused to specify the nature of his illness. The Kremlin said that Putin had visited him in the hospital, which prompted speculation that he was in serious condition. Dolezhale said the visit was to discuss arrangements for marking Rostropovich's 80th birthday. On 27 March 2007, Putin issued a statement praising Rostropovich.<ref>{{cite news | title=Russian President Marks World-renowned Musician's 80th Birthday | date=27 March 2007 | work=VOA News | url=https://www.voanews.com/a/a-13-2007-03-27-voa53/347622.html | access-date = 27 March 2015}}</ref>
[[File:Putin and Rostropovich (2007-03-27).jpg|thumb|With [[Vladimir Putin]] on 27 March 2007]]
On 7 April 2007, Rostropovich reentered the Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Centre, where he was treated for [[intestinal cancer]]. He died on 27 April, aged 80.<ref name="BBC" /><ref>{{cite news | title=Russian Conductor, Composer, Cellist Rostropovich Dies | date=27 April 2007 | work=Voice of America News | url=http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-04/2007-04-27-voa17.cfm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081119054331/http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-04/2007-04-27-voa17.cfm | archive-date =19 November 2008| access-date = 8 July 2013 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/russian%20cellist%20rostropovich%20seriously%20ill_1028951 | title=Russian cellist Rostropovish 'seriously ill' | magazine=Contactmusic | access-date=30 April 2007 | archive-date=31 October 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031085638/http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/russian%20cellist%20rostropovich%20seriously%20ill_1028951 | url-status=dead }}</ref> On 28 April, Rostropovich's body lay in an open casket at the [[Moscow Conservatory]],<ref>{{cite news | title=Russian Musician Rostropovich Honored Before Burial | date=28 April 2007 | url =http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-04/2007-04-28-voa29.cfm | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20081119062658/http://voanews.com/english/archive/2007-04/2007-04-28-voa29.cfm | archive-date =2008-11-19 | work =VOA News | access-date = 8 July 2013 }}</ref> and was then moved to the [[Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (Moscow)|Church of Christ the Saviour]]. Thousands of mourners, including Putin, bade farewell. Spain's [[Queen Sofia]], French first lady [[Bernadette Chirac]] and President [[Ilham Aliyev]] of Azerbaijan, where Rostropovich was born, as well as [[Naina Yeltsina]], Yeltsin's widow, were among those who attended the funeral on 29 April. Rostropovich was buried in [[Novodevichy Cemetery]].<ref name="BBC, 29 April">{{cite news | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6604875.stm | title=Russian farewell to Rostropovich | work=BBC News | date=29 April 2007 | access-date=2007-04-30}}</ref>

==Stature==
[[File:Rostropowitsch-denkmal-kronberg003.jpg|thumb|Memorial at [[Kronberg]]]]
Rostropovich was a huge influence on the younger generation of cellists. Many have openly acknowledged their debt to his example. In the ''[[Daily Telegraph]],'' [[Julian Lloyd Webber]] called him "probably the greatest cellist of all time".<ref>{{cite news | author=Julian Lloyd Webber | title=The greatest cellist of all time | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1549864/The-greatest-cellist-of-all-time.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1549864/The-greatest-cellist-of-all-time.html |archive-date=2022-01-12 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live | work=The Telegraph | date=28 April 2007 | access-date=2007-08-06 | location=London}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Rostropovich either commissioned or was the recipient of compositions by many composers including [[Dmitri Shostakovich]], [[Sergei Prokofiev]], [[Nikolai Miaskovsky]], [[Benjamin Britten]], [[Henri Dutilleux]], [[Olivier Messiaen]], [[André Jolivet]], [[Witold Lutosławski]], [[Luciano Berio]], [[Krzysztof Penderecki]], [[Leonard Bernstein]], [[Alfred Schnittke]], [[Aram Khachaturian]], [[Astor Piazzolla]], [[Andreas Makris]], [[Sofia Gubaidulina]], [[Arthur Bliss]], [[Colin Matthews]] and [[Lopes Graça]]. His commissions of new works enlarged the cello repertoire more than any previous cellist: he gave the premiere of 117 compositions.<ref name="ria"/>

Rostropovich is also well known for his interpretations of standard repertoire works, including Dvořák's Cello Concerto in B minor.

Between 1997 and 2001 he was intimately involved in the development and testing of the ''BACH.Bow'',<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.bach-bogen.de/mstislav-rostropovich/ | title=Mstislav Rostropovich|website=Bach-bogen.de }}</ref> a [[curved bow]] designed by the cellist [[Michael Bach (cellist, composer, visual artist)|Michael Bach]]. In 2001 he invited Bach to present his ''BACH.Bow'' to Paris (7th [[Concours de violoncelle Rostropovitch]]).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cello.org/Newsletter/Articles/bachbogen/bachbogen.htm |title=Presentation of the BACH.Bogen® |publisher=Cello.org |date=2001-10-06 |access-date=2012-08-13}}</ref> In 2011, the city of Moscow announced plans to erect a statue of Rostropovich in a central square;<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.thestrad.com/cpt-latests/rostropovich-statue-set-to-be-unveiled-in-moscow-for-cellists-85th-anniversary/ | title=Rostropovich statue set to be unveiled in Moscow for cellist's 85th anniversary | work=The Strad | date=2011-07-15 | access-date=2015-07-04 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705190702/http://www.thestrad.com/cpt-latests/rostropovich-statue-set-to-be-unveiled-in-moscow-for-cellists-85th-anniversary/ | archive-date=2015-07-05 }}</ref> the statue was unveiled in 2012.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/news/article/putin-praises-cellist-rostropovich-at-monument-opening/455736.html | title=Putin Praises Cellist Rostropovich at Monument Opening | work=The Moscow Times | date=2012-03-30 | access-date=2015-07-04}}</ref>

He was also a notably generous spirit. [[Seiji Ozawa]] relates an anecdote: on hearing of the death of the baby daughter of his friend the sumo wrestler [[Chiyonofuji Mitsugu|Chiyonofuji]], Rostropovich flew unannounced to Tokyo, took a {{frac|1|1|2}}-hour cab ride to Chiyonofuji's house and played his Bach sarabande outside, as his gesture of sympathy&mdash;then got back in the taxi and returned to the airport to fly back to Europe.

Rostropovich is included in the Russian-American Chamber of Fame of [[Congress of Russian Americans]], which is dedicated to Russian immigrants who made outstanding contributions to American science or culture.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.russian-americans.org/hall-of-fame/|title=Hall of Fame|date=20 June 2015|website=russian-americans.org|access-date=16 March 2018}}</ref>

==Awards and recognition==
Rostropovich received about 50 awards during his life, including:

===Russian Federation and USSR===
* [[Order of Merit for the Fatherland]];
**1st class (24 February 2007) – for outstanding contribution to world music and many years of creative activity
**2nd class (25 March 1997) – for services to the state and the great personal contribution to the world of music
* [[Medal Defender of a Free Russia]] (2 February 1993) – for courage and dedication shown during the defence of democracy and constitutional order of 19–21 August 1991
* [[Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"]]
* [[Jubilee Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary since the Birth of Vladimir Il'ich Lenin"|Medal "For Valiant Labor. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin"]]
* [[Medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War 1941–1945"]]
* [[Medal "For Valiant Labour in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"]]
* [[Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands"]]
* [[Medal "In Commemoration of the 800th Anniversary of Moscow"]]
* [[People's Artist of the USSR]]
* [[People's Artist of the RSFSR]] (1964)
* [[Honoured Artist of the RSFSR]] (1955)
* [[State Prize of the Russian Federation]] (1995)
* [[Lenin Prize]] (1964)
* [[State Stalin Prize|Stalin Prize]] (1951)
* Commemorative Medal for the 850th anniversary of Moscow

===Other governmental awards===
* [[Praemium Imperiale]] (1993)
* [[Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class]] (2001)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf | title = Reply to a parliamentary question | language = de | page=1447 | access-date = 22 November 2012 }}</ref>
* [[Heydar Aliyev Order]] (Azerbaijan, 2007)
* [[Istiglal Order|Order "Independence"]] (Azerbaijan, 3 March 2002)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://e-qanun.az/print.php?internal=view&target=1&docid=1412&doctype=0 |title= M. L. Rostropoviçin "İstiqlal"ordeni ilə təltif edilməsi haqqında AZƏRBAYCAN RESPUBLİKASI PREZİDENTİNİN FƏRMANI |trans-title= Order of the President of Azerbaijan Republic on awarding M. L. Rostropovich with Istiglal Order of Azerbaijan Republic |access-date= 2011-01-20 |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111120035856/http://e-qanun.az/print.php?internal=view&target=1&docid=1412&doctype=0 |archive-date= 2011-11-20 }}</ref>
* Order of "Glory" (Azerbaijan, 1998)
* Order de Mayo (Argentina, 1991)
* Order of Freedom (Argentina, 1994)
* Commander of the [[Order of the Liberator General San Martín]] (Argentina, 1994)
* Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]] (Belgium, 1989)
* Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]] (2003)
* [[Order of Francisco de Miranda]] (Venezuela, 1979)
* Grand Cross of the [[Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]] (2001)
* Commander of the [[Order of the Phoenix (Greece)|Order of the Phoenix]] (Greece)
* Commander of the [[Order of the Dannebrog]] (Denmark, 1983)
* Commander of the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]] (Spain, 1985)
* Commander of the [[Order of Charles III]] (Spain, 2004)
* Grand Officer of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]] (31 August 1984)<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/Onorificenze.aspx?pag=0&qIdOnorificenza=&cognome=rostropovich&nome=&daAnno=1950&aAnno=2012&luogoNascita=&testo=&ordinamento=OCO_ANNO_DECRETO%20DESC,OCO_MESE_DECRETO%20DESC,OCO_GIORNO_DECRETO%20DESC | title = Onorificenze: parametri di ricerca | publisher = Italian Presidency | language = it | format = PDF | access-date = 22 November 2012 | archive-date = 24 September 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150924144245/http://www.quirinale.it/elementi/Onorificenze.aspx?pag=0&qIdOnorificenza=&cognome=rostropovich&nome=&daAnno=1950&aAnno=2012&luogoNascita=&testo=&ordinamento=OCO_ANNO_DECRETO%20DESC%2COCO_MESE_DECRETO%20DESC%2COCO_GIORNO_DECRETO%20DESC | url-status = dead }}</ref>
* Grand Officer of the [[National Order of the Cedar]] (Lebanon, 1997)
* Grand Officer of the [[Order of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Gediminas]] (Lithuania, 24 November 1995)
* 13 January Commemorative Medal (Lithuania, 10 June 1992)
* Commander of the [[Order of Merit of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg]] (1999; previously Knight, 1982)
* Commander of the [[Order of Adolphe of Nassau]] (Luxembourg, 1991)
* Commander of the [[Order of Saint-Charles]] (Monaco, 1989)
* Commander of the [[Order of Cultural Merit (Monaco)|Order of Cultural Merit]] (Monaco, November 1999)<ref>[http://www.legimonaco.mc/Dataweb/jourmon.nsf/966e69337756d51ac12568c40037f872/bc72c48b62b4b92fc125683900365472!OpenDocument Sovereign Ordonnance n° 14.274 of 18 Nov. 1999] : promotions or nominations</ref>
* Commander of the [[Order of the Dutch Lion]] (Netherlands, 1989)
* Commander of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland]] (1997)
* Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saint James of the Sword]] (Portugal)
* Order "For merits in the sphere of culture" (Romania, 2004)
* Queen [[Beatrix of the Netherlands]] awarded him the rare Medal for Art and Science (Dutch: "Eremedaille voor Kunst en Wetenschap") of the House-Order of Orange.
* [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] (USA, 1987)
* [[Kennedy Center Honors|Kennedy Center Honoree]] (USA, 1992)
* Knight of the [[Order of Brilliant Star]] (Taiwan, 1977)
* Knight of the [[Order of the Lion of Finland]]
* Grand Officer of the [[Legion of Honour]] (France, 1998; previously Commander, 1987, and Officer, 1981)
* Commander of the [[Ordre des Arts et des Lettres|Order of Arts and Letters]] (France, 1975)
* Order of Arts and Letters (Sweden) (1984)
* National Order "For Merit" (Ecuador, 1993)
* [[Order of the Rising Sun]], Gold and Silver Star (2nd class) (Japan, 2003)
* [[Sharaf Order]] (''Order of Honor'') of the [[Republic of Azerbaijan]]
* Honorary [[Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire]] (1987)

===Honorary citizenships===
* Citizen of honor of [[Orenburg]], [[Russia]] (1993)
* Citizen of honor of [[Vilnius]], [[Lithuania]] (2000)

===Honorary degrees===
* Honorary Doctorate, [[University of British Columbia]] (1984)
* Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (L.H.D.), [http://www.niu.edu Northern Illinois University] (1989)
* ''[[Laurea ad honorem]]'' at the [[University of Bologna]] in Political Science (2006)

===Competitive awards===
* [[Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance]] ([[Grammy Awards of 1984|1984]]): Mstislav Rostropovich & [[Rudolf Serkin]] for ''[[Johannes Brahms|Brahms]]: Sonata for Cello and Piano in E Minor, Op. 38 and Sonata in F, Op. 99''

===Other awards===
* [[Polar Music Prize]] (1995)
* Gold Medal of the [[Royal Philharmonic Society]] (1970)
* [[Ernst von Siemens Music Prize]] (1976)
* [[Sonning Award]] (1981; [[Denmark]])
* [[Prince of Asturias Award]] (in the concord category), 1997 (jointly with [[Yehudi Menuhin]])
* [[Konex Award|Konex Decoration]] granted by the [[Konex Foundation]] of [[Argentina]] in 2002.
* [[Wolf Prize in Arts]] (2004)
* [[Sanford Medal]] ([[Yale University]])<ref>[http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/6384-Leading-clarinetist-to-receive-Sanford-Medal Leading clarinetist to receive Sanford Medal] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120729125854/http://www.tourdates.co.uk/news/6384-leading-clarinetist-to-receive-sanford-medal |date=2012-07-29 }}</ref>
* Honorary Membership of the [[Royal Academy of Music]], London.<ref name="Rostropovich: The Honors & Awards">{{cite web | title=Unforgettable Life in Music: Mstislav Rostropovich (1927–2007)| date=2007 | doi=10.1093/musqtl/gdm001 | url=https://academic.oup.com/mq/article/89/2-3/153/1002335?login=false| access-date=13 September 2009 | last1=Botstein | first1=L. | journal=The Musical Quarterly | volume=89 | issue=2–3 | pages=153–163 }}</ref>
* Gold [[UNESCO Mozart Medal]] (2007)<ref name="UN News Centre: Death of master Russian cellist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador mourned">{{cite web | title=Death of master Russian cellist and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador mourned| url=https://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=22374&Cr=UNESCO&Cr1=| date=27 April 2007 | access-date=4 August 2010}}</ref>
* [[Roosevelt Institute]]'s Four Freedoms Award for the Freedom of Speech (1992)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://rooseveltinstitute.org/fdr-four-freedoms-awards-1/|title=Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Awards – Roosevelt Institute|date=29 September 2015|website=rooseveltinstitute.org|access-date=16 March 2018}}</ref>

==See also==
* ''[[Slava! A Political Overture]]'', a 1977 composition by Leonard Bernstein

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
*Wilson, Elizabeth, ''Mstislav Rostropovich: Cellist, Teacher, Legend''. London: [[Faber & Faber]], 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-571-22051-9}}

==Further reading==
*''Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya. Russia, Music, and Liberty. Conversations with [[Claude Samuel]]'', Amadeus Press, Portland (1995), {{ISBN|0-931340-76-4}}
*''Rostrospektive. Zum Leben und Werk von Mstislaw Rostropowitsch. On the Life and Achievement of Mstislav Rostropovich'', Alexander Ivashkin and Josef Oehrlein, Internationale Kammermusik-Akademie Kronberg, Schweinfurt: Maier (1997), {{ISBN|3-926300-30-2}}
*''Inside the Recording Studio. Working with Callas, Rostropovich, Domingo, and the Classical Elite'', Peter Andry, with Robin Stringer and Tony Locantro, The Scarecrow Press, Lanham MD (2008). {{ISBN|978-0-8108-6026-1}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://rostropovich.org/ Rostropovich Vishnevskaya Foundation]
* [http://www.rostropovich.aznet.org/eng/ Home-museum of Leopold and Mstislav Rostropovich] dead link
* [https://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai112_folder/112_articles/112_rostropovich.html Rostropovich: The Home Museum (Baku, Azerbaijan)] by Gulnar Aydamirova. AZER.com, ''Azerbaijan International'', Vol. 11:2 (Summer 2003), pp. 40-42. 
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071028105246/http://www.bsmny.org/features/slava/index.php Mstislav Rostropovich: Cellist, Conductor, Humanitarian] Cellist Arash Amini shares his personal experiences with Slava, a feature from the [[Bloomingdale School of Music]] (October 2007)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070325092459/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2004/10/28/bmrost28.xml "Why the cello is a hero"], interview with ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''
* [http://www.cello.org/Newsletter/Articles/rostropovich/rostropovich.htm Interview] by Tim Janof
* [http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/74_folder/74.articles/74_rostropovich.html Famous People: Then and Now: Mstislav Rostropovich: Cellist and Conductor (1927-2007)]. AZER.com, ''Azerbaijan International'', Vol. 7:4 (Winter 1999), pp. 24-25. 
* [http://www.azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/ai132_folder/132_articles/132_rostropovich_artists.html Intellectual Responsibility. When Silence Is Not Golden: Conversations with Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya] by Claude Samuel. AZER.com ''Azerbaijan International'', Vol. 13:2 (Summer 2005), 28-29.
* [http://weta.org/fm/blog/?p=116 Hearing Mstislav Rostropovich] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927021551/http://weta.org/fm/blog/?p=116 |date=2007-09-27 }} survey of Rostropovich recordings, by Jens F. Laurson (WETA, 4 May 2007)
* [http://www.milnet.com/wh/MOF/1987Recipients.htm 1987 Presidential Medal of Freedom Recipients] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016211754/http://www.milnet.com/wh/MOF/1987Recipients.htm |date=2015-10-16 }}
* [http://www.frantisekslama.com/karel-pravoslav-sadlo The first Prague Spring International Cello Competition in 1950 in photographs, documents and reminiscences] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110819090143/http://www.frantisekslama.com/karel-pravoslav-sadlo |date=2011-08-19 }}
* [http://www.wqxr.org/#!/programs/live-broadcasts/2013/may/11/ National Symphony Orchestra Pays Homage to Rostropovich], WQXR Live Broadcast, Spring for Music Festival, Carnegie Hall, New York (11 May 2013)
* [http://www.bruceduffie.com/rostropovich.html Interview with Mstislav Rostropovich] by Bruce Duffie, 30 April 2004
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WKpSDBvn9w Playing Brahms]
* [https://www.academia.edu/35585756/Music_politics_and_history._Slava_tells_his_story Conference in Brescia, 4 June 2003] ed. by Carlo Bianchi

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{{succession box | title=[[Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance]] | before=[[Richard Goode]] and [[Richard Stoltzman]] | years=[[Grammy Awards of 1984|1984]] |regent1=[[Rudolf Serkin]] | after=[[Juilliard String Quartet]]}}
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{{Ernst von Siemens Music Prize}}
{{Léonie Sonning Music Prize laureates}}
{{Wolf Prize in Arts}}
{{Polar Music Prize}}
{{NSO music directors}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1990s}}
{{Gramophone Hall of Fame}}
{{Prince of Asturias Award for Concord}}
{{Portal bar|Classical music|Biography}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rostropovich, Mstislav}}
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