"He was also a notably generous spirit. Seiji Ozawa relates an anecdote: on hearing of the death of the baby daughter of his friend the sumo wrestler Chiyonofuji, Rostropovich flew unannounced to Tokyo, took a 1+1⁄2-hour cab ride to Chiyonofuji's house and played his Bach sarabande outside, as his gesture of sympathy—then got back in the taxi and returned to the airport to fly back to Europe."

considered the greatest cellist of the 20th century

"probably the greatest cellist of all time,"

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- Julian Lloyd Webber in the Daily Telegraph

MSTISLAV ROSTROPOVICH

Russian cellist and conductor

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Mstislav Rostropovich - Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile