Galina and Slava: A Musical/Historical Love Story

On May 15, 1955, following a whirlwind four day romance, Galina Vishnevskaya, lead soprano at the Bolshoi Opera, and Mstislav Rostropovich, Russia’s world-renowned cellist, were married. This class paints a picture of two larger-than-life personalities during their formative years in the Soviet Union, their years of exile in the United States, and, following “rehabilitation”, their return to Russia. Primary emphasis will be on their substantial contributions to 20th century music, but the political pressures that disrupted their lives will also be addressed.

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Instructor: Bob Rackmales

I first spoke on issues related to treatment of musicians in the USSR at Johns Hopkins University in 1958. In 1987 I discussed the treatment of pianist Vladimir Feltsman with senior Soviet officials in Moscow. I met Rostropovich in 1992.