The greatest cellist of his time and a man of enormous generosity and charisma, MstislavRostropovich became an influential figure in the world’s culture. Composers such as Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Britten numbered among his many friends, and his mastery of traditional repertoire was matched by his passion for new music. Exiled from the Soviet Union in the 1970s for daring to advocate freedom of expression, Rostropovich later played an active role in Russia’s transition from Communism to democracy. The range and richness of his life and art are expressed in the magnificently varied music in this 3-CD collection.