A Master has passed away...

One of the great maestri of our era, Mstislav Rostropovich, has passed away. Copying from Wikipedia:

Mstislav Leopol'dovič Rostropo'vič, born March27, 1927, died April 27, 2007, affectionately known as "Slava," was a Russian cellist and conductor considered by many to be one of the greatest cellists ever. He is well known for his interpretations of Dvořak's B minor cello concerto and Haydn's cello concertos in C and D, and for his commissions of new works which have considerably enlarged the cello repertoire.

Together with his wife, Galina Vishnevskaya they worked on the recuperation of russian opera.

Rostropovich was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, then part of the Soviet Union. From 1943 to 1948, he studied at the Moscow Conservatory, where he became professor of cello in 1956.

Rostropovich died on April 27, 2007 in Moscow, Russia after having been hospitalized in February of the same year for an undisclosed illness.

May he rest in peace.