Rostropovich: The Musical Life of the Great Cellist, Teacher, and Legend [Hardcover]

Elizabeth Wilson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 5, 2007

When renowned cellist Mstislav Rostropovich died less than a year ago at the age of eighty, the world lost not only an extraordinary musician but an accomplished conductor, an outsize personality, and a courageous human being. "It is not an exaggeration to say that the history of the cello in the twentieth century would be unthinkable without the name of Mstislav Rostropovich," writes Elizabeth Wilson. "He has seemed to me like a personification of the cello itself." Ms. Wilson, a former student of "Slava" and the acclaimed biographer of both Shostakovich and Jacqueline du Pré, has written the definitive biography of the master. Rostropovich teems with entertaining anecdotes and therefore brings the reader as close as one can get to the method and psychology of Rostropovich's playing and teaching.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

London-based cellist Wilson, author of Shostakovich and Jacqueline du Pré, studied with acclaimed cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich (1927–2007) at the Moscow State Conservatory from 1964 to 1971. Noting that the Russian-born Rostropovich dominated the international concert scene for more than half a century, she adds, For nearly as long as this, he has seemed to me like a personification of the cello itself. Her key source is Rostropovich, as she interviewed him in nine cities across Europe over a span of 10 years. Writing with an exacting precision and exhaustive research, she has succeeded in documenting all aspects of his life as a musician and teacher in meticulous detail, taking the reader on a soaring journey that highlights his days with Britten, du Pré (a voyage of discovery by equal masters, an inspired dialogue between two extraordinary artists), Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Other chapters cover his influence and teaching methods and include an insightful analysis of the metaphysical aspect of sound in his music. With arpeggios of anecdotes punctuating her personal memories, Wilson has composed a symphony of sentences, a definitive portrait of the master cellist certain to be greeted with a crescendo of applause from both book lovers and music lovers. 40 b&w photos. (Jan. 4)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

Recommended for all music collections. (Larry Lipkis Library Journal )

A definitive portrait of the master cellist certain to be greeted with a crescendo of applause. (Publishers Weekly )

Comprehensive biography of the late cellist brings together personal anecdotes and important insights into the larger-than-life musician. (Forecast )

Rich portrait of the artistic hothouse that encased Russia's postwar music world....Tale is lovingly told. (Russian Life )

Will help readers understand his teaching methods and playing psychology. (Graham Pellettieri Strings )

Readers will be persuaded that Mstislav Rostopovich was every bit as grand and wonderful and humane as [Wilson] portrays him. (Michael Dirda Washington Post )

Loving biography of a warm, caring teacher, performer, and family man who will long be remembered for...his music. (Hirsch, Alan Booklist )

This is an extraordinary book about the musical and cultural environment in the Soviet Union that produced Mr. Rostropovich. (Priscilla S. Taylor Washington Times )

Part memoir, part history...has a researcher's diligence mixed with an unapologetic personal touch and an artist's idealism. (Kenneth Young Buffalo News )

A definitive and in-depth biography. (Midwest Book Review )

A fitting tribute to the greatest cellist of his time. (Pamela Margles The Whole Note, (Www.Thewholenote.Com) )

[Wilson] knows her music…This is an extraordinary book about the musical and cultural environment in the Soviet Union that produced Mr. Rostropovich …. [Wilson's] thorough research makes this biography an encyclopedia of an era. (Washington Times )

Wilson thoroughly examines Rostropovich's rapid rise as a performer and prize winner, his career as a teacher at the Moscow Conservatory where she was his student (1964-71), his association with many leading composers of his time and the resulting significant enlargement of the cello repertory, and his ardent defense of artistic and intellectual freedom...The book's strongest feature is the author's treatment of Rostropovich the teacher....Recommended. (Choice, June 2008 )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Ivan R Dee (November 5, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566637767
• ISBN-13: 978-1566637763
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.5 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #403,960 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Tribute to Slava, April 30, 2009

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rostropovich: The Musical Life of the Great Cellist, Teacher, and Legend (Hardcover)

This book is part biography and part memoir about the life and career of the great cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. I grew up with Maestro Rostropovich as THE cellist, particularly with Russian music for the instrument, and collect many LP recordings of his performances. This book by Elizabeth Wilson (who was a student in the famous Class 19 during the late 1960's) focuses on Rostropovich's years in Russia until his exile in 1974. As with her prior books about Dmitri Shostakovich and Jacqueline du Pre this book is a labor of love.

I was familiar with Rostropovich's life as a Soviet artist and his relationships with Prokofiev and Shostakovich. Ms. Wilson's book filled in all of my knowledge gaps covering Rostropovich's early life and the early death of his father Leopold which forced the young cellist to teach to support his family. She follows his steady progress as a performer as his reputation builds. Eschewing a formal biography Ms. Wilson continues by relating Rostropovich at work with Prokofiev and Shostakovich. In the case of Prokofiev, Rostropovich was instrumental in the creation of the Sinfonia Concertante and the Cello Concertino. I enjoyed reading about Rostropovich's partnership with Benjamin Britten that led to the Cello Symphony and the Cello Suites. I gained some insight into Mr. Britten, particularly as a performer and how he stood by Rostropovich when the cellist had problems with the Soviet government.

The largest part of Ms. Wilson's book explores Rostropovich the teacher following this students as they are confronted and cajoled, learning as much about life as the cello from their professor. There are short chapters devoted to reminiscences by several Rostropovich students as they recount the trials and rewards that came from working with him. There is a wealth of information on performing and performance practice. I found some of the discussion a bit esoteric but I enjoyed learning about Rostropovich's approach to music: learning al there was about the entire work as well as your part in it.

The part of the book that was most poignant were the final chapters as Rostropovich comes to the aid of Alexander Solzhenitsyn giving him a place to live. The backlash by the Soviet government builds as Rostropovich is refused permission to travel and sees his performance schedule cut to nothing. If there was something that the agents of the government thought would irritate and humiliate Rostropovich it was done to him. Reading this part of the book one becomes angry and saddened that someone as principled as Rostropovich became the target of a campaign of government reprisal. I will always recall the image of Rostropovich leaving his home with a suitcase and two cellos with his dog accompanying him on the flight to London in first class.

As Ms. Wilson points out, to cover the years that Mstislav Rostropovich spent in outside his homeland, eventually stripped of his citizenship, is a separate story. She provides us a well written epilogue that takes us to his death a month after his 80th birthday. This book is a marvelous tribute to Mstislav Rostropovich that will even be a companion to his many recordings.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A rich insider portrait, October 17, 2008

By 

Paul E. Richardson "Russian Life" (Montpelier, VT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Rostropovich: The Musical Life of the Great Cellist, Teacher, and Legend (Hardcover)

The great cellist, conductor, teacher and humanist Mstislav Rostropovich died in 2007, just after he turned 80. Many of us knew only his second life - his artistic achievements in the West after his voluntary departure from the Soviet Union in 1974, his heroic defense of Solzhenitsyn that precipitated that departure, his impromptu performance before the crumbling Berlin Wall, his brave charge to Moscow in 1991, to stand with those who were defending the White House.

But to comprehend the second 40 years of Rostropovich's amazing life, one really needs to learn of the first 40 years, of his rise as a musical prodigy after the Second World War, of his victory in the Tchaikovsky Cello Competition, of his teaching at the Moscow Conservatory, of his friendships and students in the music world, of his tireless travels around the Soviet Union, sharing his cello music. That tale is lovingly told in this new biography by Rostropovich's student and friend, biographer Elizabeth Wilson.

Wilson weaves into her biographical tale her own experiences as well as firstperson interludes from students and colleagues. The result is a rich portrait of the artistic hothouse that encased Russia's postwar music world. (Reviewed in Russian Life)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great, Great And more Great, February 7, 2011

By 

Barry D. Johnson "Zipper" (Dallas Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rostropovich: The Musical Life of the Great Cellist, Teacher, and Legend (Hardcover)

There is not enough I can say good about this book. It's a must read for any Slava fan and any Cellist. Very detailed disucssions about the author's lessons with Slava, much to be learned about his teaching style, and his method. All of this sewn into a great biography which is a compelling read. If you are a cellist, there is much techical stuff, which will interest you. If you are just a music lover, or a fan of Slava, you will have a great biography with some pretty interesting side trips into music. Very well written. Any music lover will love this book.