I came to Moscow when I was 5 years old from Baku. To walk all night in Moscow will bring back my youth to me. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
If I make a speech, I need a translator. But music does not need a translation. People understand me through the sound. That I think is very important. This is just one planet, like one family. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
People are craving this great progress in electronics, going after computers, the Internet, etc. It’s a giant progress technologically. But they must have a balance of soul, a balance for human beauty. That means art has an important role. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
Of course, I know everything that happens in Russia. But even at the most dangerous moment or the most negative moment now, it’s still 10 times better than what it was in the communist state. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
Now I come to 75 years of age, I think what’s most important in life is your conscience. If you told a lie and made other people suffer, I think that’s very difficult when you reach this age. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
The cello is a hero because of its register – its tenor voice. It is a masculine instrument, whereas the violin is feminine because of its soprano pitch. When the cello enters in the Dvorak Concerto, it is like a great orator. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
I know that after my letter there will be undoubtedly an ‘opinion’ about me, but I am not afraid of it. I openly say what I think. Talent, of which we are proud, must not be submitted to the assaults of the past. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
I listened to Pablo Casals, which was a big change for me. Without hearing Casals, I would never have advanced as I did. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
The war years were the most difficult time of my life. There was real famine in Moscow. The water froze inside the houses. There was no heat. Mstislav Rostropovich Read Quote
