Benjamin Britten conducts Tchaikovsky and Britten — With Mstislav Rostropovich

These recordings represent an overview of some of the headiest years of Mstislav Rostropovich's career, during which he made his name in the West. He was exiled from his homeland for his support of dissident artists, poets and musicians, and, in doing so, established himself as a Major international force for good, musical and otherwise. By the time he died in 2007 he had become a cultural Olympian, being awarded in that year the Gold UNESCO Mozart Medal. The recordings also offer some unusual glimpses of Britten himself.