Mstislav Rostropovich is a Soviet and Russian cellist, pianist, conductor, composer, teacher, public figure; People's Artist of the USSR, winner of the Lenin Prize, Stalin Prize II degree, State Prize of the Russian Federation, State Prize of the RSFSR named after M. Glinka, five—time Grammy Award winner.
According to Rostropovich's own admission, three composers had a huge influence on the formation of his personality: Sergei Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostakovich and Benjamin Britten, who largely determined the vector of development of his musical talent.
The 1955 Prague Spring Festival brought Rostropovich an acquaintance with the opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya. The couple often performed together: Galina sang to the accompaniment of Mstislav. The musician also performed as part of a chamber ensemble with David Oistrakh and Svyatoslav Richter. In 1957, Rostropovich made his debut as a conductor, conducting the premiere of Eugene Onegin at the Bolshoi Theater. The performance was sold out and brought a resounding success.