Cellist and conductor Mstislav Rostropovich was in satisfactory condition Wednesday in a Moscow hospital after falling ill in Paris last week.

"He has gotten a bit sick but he will be OK," said hospital spokeswoman Natalia Dollezhal, who added that Rostropovich's condition was improving.

Mstislav Rostropovich, shown conducting a concert of Dmitri Shostakovich's works in Moscow's Conservatory in September 2006, has been hospitalized in Moscow.
(Fyodor Savintsev/Associated Press)

His illness has not been specified, but he was first taken sick last week in Paris, where he maintains a residence.

"It does not look good," said Ronald Wilford, chairman of Columbia Artist Management Inc. and Rostropovich's manager for 35 years.

Rostropovich's U.S. concert series last November was cancelled because doctors advised him against travelling.

The renowned 79-year-old musician was visited Tuesday by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Rostropovich is considered one of the 20th century's greatest cellists and is highly esteemed in Russia.

In 1974, he and his family were forced into exile after he had sheltered dissident writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn for four years.

Soviet Union returned his citizenship in 1990

The Soviet Union stripped him of his citizenship, but returned it in 1990 after the fall of communism.

Rostropovich developed close musical relationships with three of the mid-20th century's leading composers — Sergei Prokofiev, Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich, his teacher.

He commissioned dozens of works for cello from them and others.

He became a major star throughout Europe during the 1960s and '70s, before going into exile. He also was a thorn in the Soviet Union's side, speaking out frequently in favour of freedom of cultural expression.

From 1977 to 1994, he was music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, and he eventually became a U.S. citizen. He retains the title of conductor laureate.

Rostropovich's impromptu performance during the fall of the Berlin Wall was seen throughout the world.

He continues to perform, including concerts in Japan last fall celebrating the 100th anniversary of Shostakovich's birth.