Mstislav Rostropovich
Suite Per Violoncello Solo Di Bach

THE REVIEW

The day before yesterday, we lost one of the greatest musicians of all time: Mstislav Rostropovich.

Pianist, conductor, but above all Cellist.. A legendary cellist who seemed to hold the key to this instrument... capable of unleashing unknown possibilities and the entire expressive range..

His sound, divine, dark yet sunny, cryptic but intelligible, like an underground river emerging suddenly with its power, with such passion and phrasing that gives you goosebumps... substantial and intense with an unrivaled depth of tone. The infinite and colorful tonal nuances always made "Slava," as he was commonly called, the very essence of this instrument... He made the cello strong, which is usually the most fragile voice among all the strings....

For these characteristics, various composers wrote for him.. One can recall Shostakovich who gifted him two concertos.. Prokofiev a symphony and a concertino and Britten who wrote for him a sonata and three suites... His discography is numerous, rich, and varied.. A convinced pacifist, in '89 he rushed to Berlin... Seated on a common chair, for no more than thirty listeners, he played, humble and without the presumption of a star, with the shattered wall behind him, with his "1711 Duport Stradivarius" the Bach "suites." The photo went around the world and became a symbol and emblem of this historical event and his light and festive melody, amid debris sweating stories of oppression, was the homage to liberation from Leviathan.... Slava truly a giant in every sense!!!

His majestic figure embracing the cello in an almost physical fusion and his left ear glued to the strings almost in auscultation and control of the sound's origin, represent a musical icon. From his cello, beyond the notes, he would make unique cascades of vibrations and emotions emerge... No fear of post-mortem rhetoric can stop me from declaring that we have lost a pillar of music, an unattainable and irreplaceable giant... As I write this funeral tribute, I am re-listening on headphones to his solo "suites" for cello by Bach.... I have performances by other equally good musicians, but here we reach an unattainable peak; here we breathe pristine air and mountain notes. His sound is the sound of the Empyrean, which only a few can produce and realize.. Rostropovich's "suites" are eagle flights, notoriously the highest and out of reach for other birds.... A nearly mystical sense, like a biblical mission, envelops this profusion of power and tone, forbidden to others.. Bach would have been proud of such a performer and perhaps would have been in awe, despite being the work's father...

Thank you, Slava, for your rich gifts.. Your earthly and musical transit will never be forgotten and will represent, even for posterity, a milestone of musical progress and expressive richness that you generously gave us... We will miss you, Slava! Rainer, your Stradivarius, the bow and all the debaser, mourn your passing!!

Farewell, mon ami! Greet Johann Sebastian for us! "SIT TIBI TERRA LEVIS": may the earth be light upon you!