Mstislav Rostropovich RIP

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As noted here and elsewhere. I knew him more by reputation than anything else but I do like this bit:

"It is my aim, my destination in life to make the cello as beloved an instrument as the violin and piano," Rostropovich liked to say, adding that in the making of music, emotion was more important than technique. "You must play for the love of music. Perfect technique is not as important as making music from the heart."

For his own technical expertise, he offered only this explanation: "I don't even know why my hands do certain things sometimes. They just grab for notes."

To the conductor's podium he brought a singular intensity and expressiveness, and he demanded the same of his musicians, whom he liked to call "family." With wild flailing of his arms and tossing of his silvery mane of hair, and facial expressions that changed with the mood of the music, he led his orchestra, always seeking more feeling.

"Play as if you are being tickled in the sides, ah-hahaha, ah-hahaha," he would plead with his woodwinds. "You sing nicely, but I want you to sing like fanatics," he would exhort a chorus.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:20 (eighteen years ago)

well, it kind of feels like the passing of an era. shostakovich,britten and gubaidulina all wrote for him, amongst others.
i think his performance of the dvorak concerto under karajan is a fitting testament.

R.I.P. Slava.

― Frogman Henry, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:23 (eighteen years ago)

oh wow RIP. His recording of the Bach Cello Suites are probably going w/me when I die.

― Dominique, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:25 (eighteen years ago)

Heh, quite remarkable, following after Yeltsin.

― Frogman Henry, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:27 (eighteen years ago)

This thread is already good for the recommendations! (Links to where to pick up said recordings greatly appreciated.)

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 April 2007 16:54 (eighteen years ago)

Here ya go, Ned, all the hits in one convenient list.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rostropovich-The-Big-String/lm/32Z28MU3VKJPA/ref=cm_lmt_srch_f_1/203-7817051-3813557

RIP

― Jeff W, Friday, 27 April 2007 17:01 (eighteen years ago)

Roxor.

― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 April 2007 17:10 (eighteen years ago)

:-(

― Turangalila, Friday, 27 April 2007 18:25 (eighteen years ago)

Poll hijack: TS: Rostropovich the conductor vs. Rostropovich the cellist.

― M.V., Friday, 27 April 2007 19:06 (eighteen years ago)

R.I.P.

I would say that I'd go listen to the Haydn cello concerto recordings I have with him, but, well, I can't stand Haydn.

this, however:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/518RAYJSR2L._AA240_.jpg

― poortheatre, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:46 (eighteen years ago)

Poll hijack: TS: Rostropovich the conductor vs. Rostropovich the cellist.

I don't actually have any recordings of him as a conductor, any recommendations?

― Dominique, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:52 (eighteen years ago)

quote]I don't actually have any recordings of him as a conductor, any recommendations?

-- Dominique, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:52[/quote]

http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Macbeth-Mtsensk-Shostakovich/dp/B000063UM3
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Shostakovich-Concertos-Rostropovich-Vengerov/dp/B000000SLM
http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphony-No-5-Dmitry/dp/B0006OR0EO

― M.V., Friday, 27 April 2007 21:12 (eighteen years ago)

I don't actually have any recordings of him as a conductor, any recommendations?

-- Dominique, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:52

http://www.amazon.com/Lady-Macbeth-Mtsensk-Shostakovich/dp/B000063UM3
http://www.amazon.com/Prokofiev-Shostakovich-Concertos-Rostropovich-Vengerov/dp/B000000SLM
http://www.amazon.com/Shostakovich-Symphony-No-5-Dmitry/dp/B0006OR0EO

― M.V., Friday, 27 April 2007 21:13 (eighteen years ago)

The Lady Macbeth is essential.

― Frogman Henry, Friday, 27 April 2007 22:57 (eighteen years ago)

wow I didn't see this yesterday

RIP

― HI DERE, Saturday, 28 April 2007 13:30 (eighteen years ago)

I don't actually have any recordings of him as a conductor, any recommendations?

-- Dominique, Friday, 27 April 2007 20:52 (Yesterday)

Well, I liked his version of Shostakovich 15 sym, but I don't think people like his conducting much. For example his Shosta 4th doesn't have the energy or power of say Rozhdestvensky. Same with his Shosta 8th. But in the 15th he has some really 'raw' 'excessive' moments like in the slow movements that I like. :-) He conducted Schnittke's opera "Life with an Idiot" (!!) that is pretty incredible. But, really, I am no authority on this.

― Turangalila, Saturday, 28 April 2007 22:58 (eighteen years ago)

Slava RIP. :(
Shostconc #1 now: ba-bum-ba-booo!

Also thanks to Ned for info. I know some people are not fans of incessant (by nature) notifications of dead musicians* due to an "xxx RIP" not adding to anything they didn't know or something. Well, I mightn't know about it otherwise I'm sure; I doubt our national webnewspapers would deem it frontpageworthy.

*) There's a cruel asymmetry here of course: we can have BELOVED HERO DIED YESTERDAY but BELOVED HERO BORN YESTERDAY only occurs in slightly dysfunctional societies innit.

― anatol_merklich, Saturday, 28 April 2007 23:16 (eighteen years ago)

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