Why Mstislav Rostropovich was forced to spend 17 years in exile

• Why Mstislav Rostropovich was forced to spend 17 years in exile

11 years ago, April 27, 2007 An outstanding cellist, pianist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich. His last days were spent in Moscow, and until 1991, was forced to lived 17 years in exile. His career abroad has developed very well: he was awarded the honorary doctorate more than 50 universities around the world, has received state awards in 29 countries. But at home a long time has been undeservedly forgotten: he forcibly stripped of his Soviet citizenship. Only after the collapse of the USSR, he was able to go back and talk about the reasons for his exile.

Mstislav Rostropovich was born into a musical family, his father was a famous cellist, and from an early age his path was predetermined. Mstislav studied music with 4 years old, and at 16 he became a student of the Moscow Conservatory. 2 years later he won the All-Union competition for young musicians and first became famous as a cellist. During his creative life Rostropovich played almost the entire repertoire of cello music. Moreover, almost 60 composers have created new works especially for him.

The musician and his wife, the singer Galina Vishnevskaya

At the end of the 1960s. the musician started conflicts with the authorities - he openly supported dissidents and spoke in defense of the disgraced writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, giving him his dacha outside Moscow. Solzhenitsyn admitted: "I do not remember anyone in my life make a great gift than Rostropovich this shelter." In 1970, the musician and his wife, a well-known opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, have written an open letter to Brezhnev and the editors of the central Soviet newspapers in defense of the writer. The consequences were predictable: many hours of searches at customs after returning cellist with foreign tour, cancellation of concerts, recordings stop damning publication in the press, the dismissal of the Moscow Philharmonic. In 1974, Rostropovich was forced to leave the Soviet Union "for the anti-patriotic activity." His wife followed him. 4 years later they were deprived of Soviet citizenship. This decree was repealed only after 15 years.

The musician and his wife, the singer Galina Vishnevskaya

The musician had no idea that his exile will last as long and will grow into emigration. Later, he admitted: "It was Galina, her spiritual power I owe the fact that we left the Soviet Union when in me no longer had the strength to fight and I began to slowly fade away, comes close to a tragic outcome. If you knew how much I cried before leaving. Galya slept peacefully, and every night I got up and walked into the kitchen. And I cried like a baby, because I did not want to leave! ".

The great musician and conductor of the world-wide

Daughter of Mstislav Rostropovich and Galina Vishnevskaya told me: "I think that parents tour a year or two. So then I expected. A farewell to the homeland for many years. Parents deprived of their citizenship when they were already abroad, and for a long time were not allowed back. " Then they turned away from many of the familiar - the homeland of Rostropovich was considered a traitor. One day, his assistant, a musician who helped to become an assistant professor Conservatory, said that he did not want to talk to him. Later it turned out that many friends of his entourage wrote regularly to his denunciations, including the assistant.

Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich

In the West, the musicians were very much in demand: Galina Vishnevskaya, was one of the first Soviet opera singers who have achieved recognition abroad, and Mstislav Rostropovich from 1977 to 1994. He was artistic director of the National Orchestra in Washington, speaking on the stages of the best philharmonic orchestras and concert halls of the world.

An outstanding cellist, pianist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich

For the first time after years of emigration, Rostropovich was able to come to Russia in 1990 - when he was invited to perform in Moscow with the Washington Symphony Orchestra. Galina Vishnevskaya at first did not want to go along with it - an insult to the state was still strong. On France press conference the singer said: "The Soviet Union is not run by laws, but the people running these laws. I do not recognize the power of these people! No one has the right to deprive me of the motherland. " But after his daughter Olga volunteered to accompany a spouse is also accepted. But after the collapse of the USSR, they returned to Russia, although periodically lived in France.

In 2007, Mstislav Rostropovich has died after a long illness - he was diagnosed with liver cancer. After his father's death, his daughter Olga, too, moved to Russia to be with his mother, and to carry out old musician's dream - to organize a music festival. Since then, every year in Moscow was held the International Festival of Mstislav Rostropovich, which opened on his birthday - 27 March. In 2012, he left the life of Galina Vishnevskaya, but her daughter continued the work of parents: Olga is engaged by the Fund to support young musicians and opera center and Elena - a charitable medical center RVF.

Galina Vishnevskaya and Mstislav Rostropovich

The Western press wrote about him: "The ironic, passionate, elegant, expansive ... An outstanding musician is like a force of nature ... Music in his hands becomes a moral force, whether Tchaikovsky's Sixth Symphony or tenth Shostakovich ... Rostropovich - a brilliant cellist and deep musician, conductor - creating it is art in which he believes in religion ... ". In 2002, "The Times" called him "the greatest living musicians." Music has really become a religion and the true meaning of life for him. "Music - it's healing. Music lights the torch of good and can reorganize, improve the world ", - said Rostropovich.