Simply A Great Man

by Shari Childers

Many musicians, music lovers, and scholars agree that Mstislav Rostropovich is one of the greatest cellists of the 20th century. But what does such a general word as "great" mean? Large? In the case of Rostropovich, larger than life. He may not have been a very large man himself, but he had big dreams, a big heart, and a big sound. In his prolific recordings, Rostropovich demonstrates a bold, powerful style of playing that carries an unmistakable vitality. He is "noted for his commanding technique and intense, visionary playing," says EMI Classics. He has recorded over 50 concertos and has debuted countless works. It is no wonder that he remains "one of the most sought-after recording artists in the world."

But under this picture of a gifted, inspiring cellist lies a humble man who never forgets the hard times from which he came and never takes for granted the brighter future ahead. He was a man highly regarded for his musical talents in his native USSR, but all that changed when he decided to fight against the repressive Soviet government. In a world of forced labor, endless lines for shoddy goods, and KGB tyranny, he fought for cultural freedom and human rights and it almost cost him his career and his life.

Mstislav Rostropovich, or Slava to his friends, was born in 1927 in Azerbaijan, which was then under Soviet control. Following in the footsteps of his father and grandfather, he began the cello in his childhood. He then studied at the Moscow Conservatory and made his public debut in 1942 when he was only 15. Rostropovich went on to win the gold medal in the first- ever Soviet Union competition for young musicians, was named People’s Artist of the USSR, and was awarded both the Stalin Prize and the Lenin Prize (the highest state honor). He became a renowned musician in both the USSR and abroad, even visiting the United States in 1956. Later he became a conductor and achieved tremendous success conducting both operas and orchestral music.

Despite his success, Rostropovich’s life did not reflect that of a national hero. In 1955 he married acclaimed soprano Galina Vishnevskaya who recalls in her autobiography that he "used all his Stalin Prize money to buy a dacha [an apartment] and then was not given a permit for he and [I] to live in it because it was too large."

It was during this time that Rostropovich became increasingly interested in the social affairs of the country. He firmly believed in artistic freedom and human rights. In a recent speech delivered at Temple University, Rostropovich related a story of the time he spent with the composer Prokofiev: "One morning Prokofiev said to me ‘Slava, I have no more money for breakfast.’ So I went to the Union of Composers and [asked them] to give a little bit of money to Prokofiev, just for food. You know how unhuman this Soviet Union was…Thanks be to God, we have another way, a democratic way in Russia."

Rostropovich and his wife also harbored the Nobel-prize winning novelist and Soviet dissident Alexander Solzhenitsyn. As a result of this strong support for anti-Soviet figures, the government increasingly hindered his artistic endeavors. In 1970, he wrote a letter protesting restrictions on artistic freedom. Consequently, the government forbade him and his wife from performing and recording, and as the musical magazine Fanfaire says "with a stroke of the pen became musical non-entities, their national awards and honorific titles removed from the official records."

Life was very hard during those years. The media blackout was painful to both Rostropovich and his wife. The family decided that they had suffered all they could when a recording conducted by Rostropovich was abandoned after taping the first act. Rostropovich then appealed to the government for permission for the family to perform abroad for two years. News of his appeal came to the attention of Leonard Bernstein. He asked Senator Ted Kennedy to campaign on Rostropovich’s behalf and the family was allowed to leave. And if leaving his country was not humiliating enough, customs officials confiscated all of the cellist’s international medals and decorations because they were made of gold. He refused to return to the USSR, and in 1978, the government stripped him of his citizenship for the "systematic acts that bring harm to the prestige of the Soviet Union."

While the Soviet government refused to recognize his achievements, Rostropovich rebuilt his career in the United States. He became the acclaimed conductor of the National Symphony in Washington DC, helping to establish it as one of the best orchestras in the country. He also performed as a cellist worldwide, recording and performing often with the London Symphony Orchestra.

Today, Rostropovich is a much happier man. He has since retired from conducting, but he continues his humanitarian work staging benefit concerts in support of Azerbaijan relief efforts, children’s health care in Russia, and construction of homes for Russian veterans. He received both the Award for the International League of Human Rights and the Albert Schweitzer Award. After the fall of communism in Russia, Rostropovich traveled with his wife and daughter to Moscow and remembered those who suffered under the tyrannous soviet regime. Risking his freedom, he returned visa-less in 1991 to participate in the resistance against the attempted coup.

Rostropovich is truly a champion of human rights and an inspiring spirit as well as a pioneer in the music community. He is never too busy to thank people for their help in his cause. In his speech to Temple University, he thanked all the people in the United States for their help and support in assisting the former Soviet state in their transition to democracy.

When asked of his great achievements in music, however, Rostropovich humbly answered (in Fanfaire), "My happiest moments are when I feel that I am somebody’s student again. That’s a gift from the gods." Though he stands as one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century revered by critics, musicians, and his public, he remains a humble man always ready to share his love for music. To me he embodies everything a true artist should—humility, passion, well-roundedness, and a love for his work.

The article in Fanfaire continues, "Rostropovich is perhaps the most highly decorated man in the annals of music. The honors and awards he continues to receive fill pages. Yet exhibiting a true mark of greatness, he is the epitome of grace and humility both on stage and off. It does not matter that one is a fellow VIP seeking to pay his respects or just a plain awed music lover, he gives each one the same giant bear hug (as only a Russian can) and a generous share of his time. One always comes away after a few precious minutes with him feeling he or she has been touched by greatness. For indeed Maestro Rostropovich is, quite simply, a great man."

 

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