Rostropovich To Give Up Cello

Mstislav Rostropovich has told a German magazine that he will no longer perform in public on the cello. The renowned cellist/conductor, now aged 79, was quoted as saying that a Penderecki premiere he played in Vienna this January would be his last performance. “Rostropovich said that he would continue to maintain an active schedule as a conductor, noting that he was completely booked for the next two years.”