Galina; A Russian Story
San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1984. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. xiii, [1]. 519,[7] pages. Occasional footnotes. Characters in a Russian Story. Illustrations. Repertory, Discography. Index. DJ worn, torn and chipped. The world-renowned diva describes her life in the Soviet Union, her marriage to cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, her operatic career, and their departure from Russia, in an account of artistic life in the USSR. Galina Pavlovna Vishnevskaya (25 October 1926 – 11 December 2012) was a Russian opera singer and recitalist who was named a People's Artist of the USSR in 1966. She was the wife of cellist Mstislav Rostropovich. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 singing operetta. She won a competition held by the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow (with Rachmaninoff's song "O, Do Not Grieve" and Verdi's aria "O patria mia" from Aida) in 1952. The next year, she became a member of the Bolshoi Theatre. On 24 March 1957, she made her debut in Finnish National Opera as Tatyana in Eugene Onegin. On 9 May 1960, she made her first appearance in Sarajevo at the National Theatre, as Aida. In 1961, she made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Aida; the following year she made her debut at the Royal Opera House as Aida. For her La Scala debut in 1964, she sang Liù in Turandot. Vishnevskaya also sang roles such as Violetta, Tosca, Cio-cio-san, Leonore, and Cherubino. Benjamin Britten wrote the soprano role in his War Requiem (completed 1962) specially for her, though the USSR prevented her from traveling to Coventry Cathedral for the premiere performance. The USSR eventually allowed her to leave in order to make the first recording of the Requiem. More