Mstislav Rostropovich, 1927-2007
The sad news has arrived that Mstislav Rostropovich has died in Moscow early this morning, after a battle with cancer. His death is especially tragic for Washingtonians because of the great Russian cellist and conductor's long relationship with the city, as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra from 1977 to 1994. Lacking words to express the enormity of Rostropovich's musical and humanitarian achievements, here is an excerpt of the tribute published by Jean-Louis Validire (Dissident et défenseur de Soljenitsyne, April 27) in Le Figaro today (my translation):
On November 9, 1989, in the very first hours after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Mstislav Rostropovich, seated on a chair against a section of the Berlin Wall, played a Bach sonata [he means suite--Ed.]. The image broadcast on international television made him one of the architects of the struggle against a world that was crumbling and earned him worldwide recognition. But the cellist's actions in support of democracy and especially in defense of his persecuted friends did not date from that moment immortalized by photography.See also the tribute by Tim Page in the Post today.
Rostropovich always demonstrated an active sense of compassion for the victims of the purges. For example, he always defended the family and memory of Sergei Prokofiev, too often accused of collusion with the authorities, so much had the image of official composer been established. [...] Rostropovich's admiration for [Shostakovich] never flagged. He bought and renovated the apartment in St. Petersburg, in which Shostakovich had lived from 1914 to 1934. He brought together there a large amount of documents and souvenirs that had belonged to the composer to create a museum devoted to Shostakovich at 9 Rue Marat.
It was the defense of Solzhenitsyn that ultimately brought the Rostropoviches to their disgrace. Since 1969, the Rostropovich-Vishnevskaya couple had supported the novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, by allowing him to live in their dacha outside Moscow. They also wrote, in 1970, an open letter to Brezhnev protesting Soviet restrictions on cultural freedom. These actions had as an immediate consequence the cancellation of the couple's concerts and recording projects, as well as all travel abroad. Later, in 1974, exit visas were granted that allowed them to go into exile, and four years later, they renounced their Soviet citizenship.
6 comments:
Yet he also supported Putin.
Point taken. I found Putin's presence at Rostropovich's 80th birthday celebration, while appropriate for a Russian head of state, to reek of cultural profiteering.
He did *not* support Putin - anonymous has no clue what he/she is talking about.
Putin and "Slava" had a very tense relationship - no matter all the hagiographic eulogies that will now follow from the official Russian side. The critics in Moscow didn't tear through Rostropovich just because he was performing badly (although I am sure he was -- last time in DC he was already incapable of conducting properly nor able to reckognize people) but also because the top address in Russia was keen on seing him humiliated. Premieres were cancelled, rehearsals were cancelled... it dates back to Putin being second major of St.Petersburg, organizing him a huge apartment (someone like Rostropovich would of course not BUY something but had to be GIVEN something) -- and M.R. then invited Putin and his boss to a big party he threw. Except when the major wasn't re-elected, he and Putin were UNinvited. Putin never forgot nor forgave.
How the death of a sick man is a tragedy to this town or anywhere else, except his friends and family, is completely beyond me. His memory, whatever memory one may have of him, and his art live on.
A slobberingly adulatory series of articles about M.R. can be found in last month's GRAMOPHONE.
A post with recommendations of his best recordings (and there *are* some I much admire) will be forthcoming.
p.s. ctd is excatly right with his comment above -- and would be right to say the same thing about whatever Putin does relating to MR's funeral/death. Funny how two men Putin loathed - Jelzin and Slava - die within such short a time and both times he has to lie through his teeth at a grave. At least Slava was - by and large - loved by Russians, whereas Jelzin is the symbol of "the great shame" - not much else.
I'm suspicious when anyone/Russian dies in Russia/anywhere, while Putin is around.
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