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
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.
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.
There is too much emphasis on technical perfection nowadays, and not enough on what music is actually about - irony, joy, human suffering, love.
When I started learning the cello, I fell in love with the instrument because it seemed like a voice - my voice.
The artist must forget the audience, forget the critics, forget the technique, forget everything but love for the music. Then, the music speaks through the performance, and the performer and the listener will walk together with the soul of the composer, and with God.
You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart.