Legendary cellist Rostropovich dead at 80

[Eugene]

Source: Agence France-Presse

Legendary cellist Rostropovich dead at 80

by Dario Thuburn
16 minutes ago

MOSCOW (AFP) - Mstislav Rostropovich, the legendary Russian cellist
who became a powerful emblem of resistance to the Soviet communist
system, died Friday in Moscow, his spokeswoman told AFP. He was 80.

"He died in hospital today," Natalya Dolezhal said. Rostropovich had
been ill for some time and had been receiving treatment at a Moscow
cancer clinic in recent days.

He was to be buried in the 16th century Novodevichy convent in
Moscow alongside other leading Russian cultural and political figures,
said a spokeswoman from the opera school of his widow, Galina
Vishnevskaya.

Russia's first post-Soviet president Boris Yeltsin, who is credited
with bringing democracy to Russia, was buried in the same cemetery
in a nostalgia-filled ceremony on Wednesday.

Rostropovich flew to Moscow to support Yeltsin in defying a Soviet
military coup in August 1991, just a few months before the final
collapse of the Soviet Union.

-snip-

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070427/ts_afp/russiaculturepolitics_070427104605

[Captain Hilts]

1. Saw him and the WSO play the 1812 in Red Square in Sept. '93. nt

[rcdean]

4. Wow! Just the thought is awesome!

As a classical dj in Philly in the 60s, I used to love pronouncing his name. Had no idea he was prominent in the Soviet resistance movement.

[Captain Hilts]

6. They had some real cannon too. All in the middle of the stand-off between Yeltsin and the Rt. Wing.

It was pretty dramatic.

[catrose]

2. One of my heroes

musically and politically

[shenmue]

3. Rest in peace

:cry:

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Saw him play in Minneapolis on one of his first U.S. tours over 30 yrs ago

I didn't know classical music as well then as I do now, but there was something magical about his playing. :-(

[Manifestor_of_Light]

7. I have a CD of the Schubert String Quintet

The last piece Schubert wrote, which has two violins, one viola, and two celli.
It's the Melos Quartet and the "fifth wheel" is Rostropovich.
On Deutsche Grammophon Gesellschaft. The yellow label.

An immortal, noble recording.

[pberq]

8. Kick & Nominated

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. Thank you, Maestro...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU_QR_FTt3E&NR=1

Thank you for the music you brought to Washington DC.

It seems fitting that we should have rain today... :cry:
Rest in peace, Slava...

[AllegroRondo]

10. Leonard Bernstein wrote a beautiful piece for him

called "Slava"

loud, fast, and boistrous, just like him. Slava loved it.