Slava!

[poliphilo]

Some people come into the world with an extra helping- or maybe two extra helpings- of the life force: Rostropovich, for instance.

Great musician, great teacher, a man with a huge appetite for life and friendship. He kissed everybody. There's footage of him grabbing hold of a bewildered Leonid Brezhnev and kissing him on both cheeks as was his custom with anybody who came within range.)  Also brave. He befriended and stood up for Prokofiev and Solzhenitsyn when they were out of favour- and got sent into exile for his pains. After the collapse of the Soviet system he snuck back into Russia illegally so he could go and stand next to Yeltsin in the White House and brave the encircling tanks. Yeltsin gave him a bodyguard- and there's an amazing photograph of Rostropovich holding the bodyguard's rifle while the young man- fagged out with non-stop watching- sleeps with his head against his shoulder. All of this was completely beyond the call of duty. He loved girls (it was hinted) and Benjamin Britten was his very best friend.

I look at lives like this and wonder, "Where on earth did he get the energy?"

Comments

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the post - via wiki am now listening to the Bach Sarabande from Suite 2 in D minor BWV 1008 as it was mentioned R liked to play it "for people who were feeling sad". What a sweetheart.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

A remarkable human being...

Why can't we all be like that?

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Because if you want something badly, you have to forgo other stuff. If I were an extrovert like Rostropovich, I'd get sod all of my own work done. I need to stay home and close this deal. That said, I can't play the cello either :)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't know, R seemed to be able to pack it all in- work and relationships. Apparently he got by on very little sleep.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

We've a friend who sings with the Weiner Staatsoper and she adored Slava. Adrienne is gay, so he could sparkle all he liked! :o)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

He seems to have been universally beloved.