Yuri Bashmet shared his emotions over Rostropovich's departure abroad

In an interview with Izvestia, People's Artist of the USSR Yuri Bashmet told who caused his tears because he went abroad.

"He is a legend. The audience was yelling, "Slavochka, who are you leaving us for?" After the concert, the car with his entire family was carried out of the conservatory courtyard by fans in their arms. But he left anyway," admits Bashmet.

Such emotions were caused by the departure of the virtuoso cellist, People's Artist of the USSR Mstislav Rostropovich. According to Bashmet, saying goodbye to the country, he gave a concert at the conservatory.

"Mstislav Leopoldovich stood behind the conductor's desk of the student orchestra, in which I also played. Rostropovich chose to perform Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 6 - the best symphony in the world. During the concert we were all weeping, we knew who we were losing," says Yuri Abramovich.

Later, when Yuri Bashmet traveled abroad, he saw Rostropovich several times. Sometimes, according to the musician's admission, it was dangerous. But he was not afraid to communicate with the dissident. As Bashmet says, Mstislav Rostropovich was interested in everything that was happening in Russia.

"I felt he was suffering from the fact that he was not living at home. And yet he was doing just fine abroad. And there was fame, and fame, and money. So it is pointless to talk about others, nerostropovich," says the artist.

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