Submitted by Milan, May 2, 2007 18:17

His father, Leopold, was of Polish nobility descent (Rostropowicz family), Bogorya coat of arms, which had lived at the family palace in Skotniki, Masovian Voivodeship. (Source: Wikipedia). It seems highly unlikely that Jews would have been part of Polish nobility at any time. "By lineage and faith he was wholly Russian and Orthodox, with a sentimental attachment to Armenia, his accidental birthplace." (Norman Lebrecht, a highly respected music writer and critic, in his May 2, 2007, article on Rostropovich.) However, other sources indicate his mother was Jewish. In any case, more research before making such claims seems in order.

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