Russia touts master of the cello

Feeble but clearly pleased, Mstislav Rostropovich came to the Kremlin on Tuesday evening for a gala celebration marking the 80th birthday of a man renowned for his music and his human rights work.

Rostropovich, who had been hospitalized in February for an undisclosed illness, walked slowly into the celebration on the arms of his wife, Galina Vishnyevsakaya, and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The hall was decked in decorations shaped like cellos, the instrument of which he was a towering master.

“I feel myself the happiest man in the world,” Rostropovich said after slowly rising from his chair, in remarks shown on Russian state television. “I will be even more happy if this evening will be pleasant for you.”

Putin then presented him with a medal -- the Order of Service to the Fatherland.