A giant passes:

Mstislav Rostropovich, the ebullient master cellist who courageously fought for the rights of Soviet-era dissidents and later triumphantly played Bach suites below the crumbling Berlin Wall, has died. He was 80.

Rostropovich died Friday in a Moscow cancer hospital, the Itar-Tass news agency reported. Rostropovich’s spokeswoman, Natalia Dollezhal, confirmed to The Associated Press that he had died but she did not provide other details.

Rostropovich, who resided in Paris after self-imposed exile, suffered from intestinal cancer.

His death follows that of another towering Russian — former President Boris N. Yeltsin, who led the country from Communism to democracy.

“The passing of Mstislav Rostropovich is a bitter blow to our culture,” said author Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who was sheltered by Rostropovich during his bitter fight against Soviet authorities in the 1970s.

Here is Rostropovich in Paris 1962 performing Bach´s Suite for Solo Cello in C Major: Bourreé…

A nice tribute here.