Customer Reviews

Soldiers of Music: Rostropovich Returns to Russia [VHS]

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I first saw this documentary on public television in Houston (and have since bought it). They had scheduled it for the Christmas to New Years break one year as filler. How wrong they were. The privilege of accompanying Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya on their return to their homeland is only the surface glory of this work. Works in rehearsal or used as background include: Barber's Adagio for Strings, Dvorak's Cello Concerto, Grieg's Asa's Death, Puccini's Mme. Butterfly, Prokofiev's 5th, Rachmaninov's Vocalise, Shostakovich's 8th and 5th (finale conducted as marked, at the slower tempo), and Tchaikovsky's 6th. The focus includes a very Slavic welcoming party for the Rostropovich's, return to their homes and the Bolshoi, footage on their support of Solzhenitsyn and their subsequent exile, a return to Sokolov's grave, and various TV and newspaper interviews. If you are interested in the course and culture of 20th century music, there are few more powerful investments you can make for 90 minutes of entertainment and information. These are very real people whose music is of vital importance to themselves and to the societies they live in.

I originally saw this video on public television several years ago and have wanted to purchase it but didn't find it until now through your web page.

I am a classical pianist and of Russian descent so this video proved to be one of the best I have ever seen. It is filled with beautiful music and heart-wrenching emotion.