One of the most respected cellists of his era, this Soviet musician received three International Music Awards and one Stalin Prize during the late 1940s and early 1950s. He performed the works of Shostakovich, and numerous other prominent cellists.
He began playing the piano at the age of four; six years later, he learned the cello. In his mid-teens, he became a student at the Moscow Conservatory, where he added conducting and composition to his list of musical proficiencies.
He received a 1984 Grammy Award for his performances of Brahms' Op. 38 and Op. 99 cello sonatas.
His marriage to Russian opera star Galina Vishnevskaya resulted in two children: Elena and Olga.
Sergei Prokofiev composed both his Cello Sonata in C, Op. 119 and his Symphony-Concerto for cello for Rostropovich.
