Rostropovich began learning the piano from his mother at age four. She was a talented pianist in her own right and was able to give him lessons herself. At age 10, he decided to switch to the cello and studied under his father, an accomplish cellist. Between 1943 and 1948, he attended the Moscow Conservatory, eventually becoming a cello professor in 1956. He first burst onto the music scene in 1945, winning a gold medal in the first Soviet music competition for younger musicians.

Mstislav Rostropovich was persecuted by the Soviet government for his beliefs regarding free speech and democracy. In 1948, while attending the Moscow Conservatory, his teacher Dmitri Shostakovich was dismissed from his professorships in Leningrad and Moscow. Rostropovich, who was 21 at the time, left the Conservatory and dropped out to protest the move. Later on, he sheltered political refugee Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in his own residence, despite the consequences if they got caught. This relationship with Solzhenitsyn eventually led to his being decreed an official disgrace by the government. He and his wife were prohibited from touring out of the country and he was restricted to a recital tour of only small towns in Siberia.

He was forced to leave the Soviet Union in 1974 as a political refugee. Rostropovich and his family moved to the United States in search of freedom. He had been banned from several ensembles in the Soviet Union, eventually having his citizenship revoked in 1978. Despite this, he supported Boris Yeltsin's illegal shelling of the Russian parliament during the 1993 constitutional crisis. He was also known to be friendly with Vladimir Putin, which seems to contradict his freedom-loving values.

Rostropovich and his wife began their own foundation to focus on social issues and create activities in their homeland of Azerbaijan. Among the programs started by the foundation include a public vaccination initiative and the Rostropovich Home Museum in Baku. Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya visited Azerbaijan occasionally. Rostropovich also presented cello master classes at the Azerbaijan State Conservatory. In addition to his social programs, Rostropovich has been a major influence on an entire generation of cellists.

Rostropovich's unexpected public performance at the fall of the Berlin Wall gained him additional fame and led to the Russian government restoring his citizenship in 1990. He has also received awards from all over the world, along with honorary doctorates from a number of prominent universities. He has been a freedom fighter throughout his life, battling for freedom of speech in both politics and the arts.

Originally posted 2008-11-11 05:43:03. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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He began his musical career at an early age, studying violin, viola, and cello all before the age of four. He started performing in front of live audiences by five years old and performed for President John F. Kennedy at the age of seven. When he was eight years old, he appeared on American television in a concert conducted by Leonard Bernstein. At fifteen years old, Yo-Yo Ma graduated from Trinity School in New York and began appearing as a soloist with the Harvard Radcliffe Orchestra in a performance of the Tchaikovsky: Rococo Variations.

After graduation, Ma attended the Juilliard School of Music with Leonard Rose, then Columbia University, and finally ended up at Harvard. By that time, he had already performed with many of the top orchestras in the world. Ma has also been known for his chamber music performances with pianist Emanuel Ax. Yo-Yo Ma's current project is the Silk Road Ensemble, which brings together musicians from all around the world. The project is currently being handled and recorded by the Sony's Classical music division.

Ma enjoyed a resurgence of fame in 1997, after being featured on the soundtrack to Seven Years in Tibet, by John Williams. In 2000, he was part of the soundtrack for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which became a surprise blockbuster hit. Ma then worked with Williams again on the soundtrack for 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha. He has also collaborated with Italian composer Ennio Morricone and has performed his own recordings of Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly trilogy. Yo-Yo Ma has recorded over 75 albums, with 15 of those winning a Grammy award. He has also been awarded the Award of Excellence by The International Center in New York City, among many other lifetime awards.

Yo-Yo Ma's playing style is more eclectic than that of most classical musicians. His tremendous versatility can be seen in numerous recordings of the standard classical repertoire, along with Baroque pieces using period instruments, American bluegrass music, traditional Chinese melodies including the soundtrack to the film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, the tangos of Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla, a collaboration with Bobby McFerrin, and even the music of modern minimalist Philip Glass in such works as the 2002 piece, Naqoyqatsi. In 2006, he performed on the critically acclaimed soundtrack for Memoirs of a Geisha. Ma's rich, mellow tone is the most well-known attribute of his music and his flexibility and versatility is legendary among classical musicians.

Yo-Yo Ma Clips:

This first clip is of Yo-Yo Ma playing on Sesame Street with the Honkers. The second is Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach´s Cello Suite No. 1. Enjoy!

Photo Credits: 1

Originally posted 2008-10-28 05:00:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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The instrument that Maria Kliegel plays her music on is the legendary Ex Gendron cello that was crafted in 1693 by Stradivarius. For more than thirty years' time it was owned and played by Maurice Gendron, and was then eventually placed at her disposal by the Stiftung für Kunst und Kultur which comes from the Foundation for the Arts and Culture in North Rhine Westphalia.

Where She Is Now

Maria Kliegel continues to play her instrument, though is a little less active in the music scene as of late. She does appear rather regularly as a guest solo with leading orchestras across the world in most major concert venues. Her repertoire is exceptionally wide, and her versatility and interest in exploring new repertoire has stimulated many contemporary composers to write music specifically for her to play. Ever since 1986, she has been teaching a master class in the Cologne Music Academy where she continues to teach to this day.

Career Highlights

The music for Maria Kliegel has been featured on more than sixty different album compilations. She has won numerous awards and honors for her playing, including the "Grand Prix" of the Concours Rostropovich, and first prizes in the following competitions -

- American College Competition
- First German Music Competition in Bonn
- Concours Aldo Parisot
- Concerts with Young Artists

She continues to play in large scale music halls all over the world, and has stimulated numerous contemporary composers to write music especially for her, with her great versatility and exceptionally wide repertoire.

Interesting and Inspirational Quotes

"I felt like the cello was Mount Everest and I would never be able to reach the top." - Maria Kliegel

"If you don't know the cello's geography, it's like speaking a language without knowing its alphabet; you can only get so far in your communication skills." - Maria Kliegel

"The piece has to be written such that the cello still sounds like a cello. I don't like those pieces where I'm only allowed to play scratchy quartertones. There can be heartfelt ugly-sounding moments that express pain, struggle, or other human feelings, but there has to be beauty too. Alfred Schnittke's and Sofia Gubaidulina's music expresses this beautifully. If the soul of the cello is not recognizable, I refuse to play it, no matter how great its concept or how profound the underlying philosophy may be." - Maria Kliegel

Originally posted 2008-12-23 05:44:49. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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• Musician Profile for Mstislav Rostropovich Mstislav Rostropovich was born on March 27, 1927 and died on April 27, 2007. He is known as one of the most influential cellists in history. From 1977 until 1994, he was musical director and conductor of the U.S. National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, DC, while still performing with some......
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