MOSCOW: Russian opera singer Galina Vishnevskaya, the widow of legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich who is known for her iconic interpretations of great opera roles, died Tuesday aged 86.
The soprano -- who won fame in Soviet times for her emotionally intense performances of classic and modern works -- had been suffering from heart trouble in recent years.
Her extraordinary life saw her survive the siege of Leningrad in World War II, forced into foreign exile with her husband in the 1970s, and return in triumph as the Soviet Union crumbled.
She underwent treatment in Germany and was at her country house in the Moscow region when she died, surrounded by her loved ones, the spokeswoman for Vishnevskaya's Opera Centre in Moscow, Yulia Ivanova, told AFP.
Born in what was then Leningrad, Vishnevskaya survived the city's blockade by Nazi Germany during World War II, and even served in missile defence troops when she was a teenager.
After studying in Leningrad, she was accepted into Moscow's Bolshoi theatre. Rostropovich and her married in 1955 -- he was her third husband.
Vishnevskaya's dramatic interpretations led some music critics to dub her the Russian Maria Callas.
Her full-on style was not always to everyone's taste but her emotional involvement in the music left a huge impact on all who heard her above all at her home Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow.
She brought to life modern parts including the dramatic soprano roles in the opera "Lady Macbeth" by Soviet composer Dmitry Shostakovich or the War Requiem of British composer Benjamin Britten.
But Soviet audiences also loved her for her great interpretations of the standard repertoire including the great heroines of Puccini and Verdi.
In a life that saw her rub shoulders with some of the 20th century's great cultural figures, she and her late husband were personal friends of Sergei Prokofiev and Britten.
Together with Rostropovich, Vishnevskaya offered support to writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who lived with them when he came to Moscow, coming under immense pressure from the authorities.
They were forced to leave the USSR and were eventually stripped of Soviet citizenship in 1978, but came back during the perestroika era and recovered Russian citizenship.
"These were people who were not only great in art, but who also appeared in the most dire moments in places where somebody needed their help," ex-Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev told Interfax news agency, calling Vishnevskaya a "remarkable actress and singer."
Visnevskaya was also known for her classy style, authoritative opinions, and a penchant for luxury, which fell completely out of synch with the realities of Soviet life.
She was regularly seen in later years at the festivals around Russia that bear her late husband's name, always immaculately turned out and regarded with immense respect by concert goers.
However she showed little patience with changing cultural trends in Russia, famously vowing never to set foot in the Bolshoi Theatre again after it staged a modernist interpretation of Tchaikovsky's opera "Yevgeny Onegin".
She surprised everyone when she debuted on the big screen at the age of 80, starring in Alexander Sokurov's 2007 drama "Alexandra" as the grandmother of a soldier serving in Chechnya, winning praise for her moving performance.
Vishnevskaya will be buried at Moscow's Novodevichy cemetery, after mourners pay their last respects to the prima at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
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