A few years back, when Russia invaded Ukraine (further) there were a lot of musicians that were cancelled because of ties with Russia or more specifically Putin. Russian music got the short end of the stick, when less and less of it was being performed. Also ensembles and musicians not from Russia themselves cancelled or amended their programs. All Russian culture was banned.
Regular readers of my blog might have noticed that my tastes include pretty extreme music. I’m not personally offended by the extreme opinions or choices somebody else is making. Although I do admit there might be limits if you actively publicise that opinion. But I can be politically at odds with someone and still enjoy his or her music, both as a performer and as a composer.
Having sad that, this recording comes from a time when Russia was viewed differently. Rostropovich and Vishnevskaya (the two were a married couple) were just that, musical heroes. Together they created this beautiful masterpiece.