The Ultimate Gesture of Love
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1927, Mstilav Rostropovich was called "Slava", the Russian word for "Glory", by friends. His passions for music began at the young age of 4 when he began piano lessons and shortly later cello lessons with his father. He began conducting while studying at the Central Music School in Moscow and the Moscow Conservatoire. He and his wife Galina, the leading soprano at the Bolshoi Opera in Moscow married in 1955 and have two daughters, Olga and Elena.
In 1978, the United States welcomed them after losing citizenship from the Soviet government for sheltering dissident novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn in their home outside Moscow from 1969-1973.
What attracted him to Gelston Castle Estate, besides its naturally secluded location, was its close proximity to the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, the first Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia. To ensure added security and seclusion he purchased the Robinson estate and its surrounding land totaling slightly under 500 acres.
He originally wanted to restore Gelston Castle to its former glory as enjoyed by its predecesors for decades, but was convinced by several architects that a project of that caliber would cost more than just building a new structure on the property.
The 8,300 sq ft mansion was designed and built in 1983 by Louis Bakanowsky, chair of the Harvard School of Architecture. Its design incorporated the most state-of-the-art security system available at the time.
A Guiding Light of Romance
Galina had no idea of the plans he made for the property, as he prepared to surprise her with the ultimate gift, a new home he ordered the driveway lined with street lights that were a gift from a European King. He sculpted the landscape and planted speakers throughout the property. Upon her first visit, each of the street lights glowed with her favorite color, blue. Music she loved filled the estate while he held her hand, leading her for the first time up the historic driveway, past the majestic castle to their new home. The guiding lights were a symbol of the way home.