Musicians for Armenia (Beethoven, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Chopin, Villa-Lobos) (1989)

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Musicians for Armenia (Beethoven, Debussy, Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Chopin, Villa-Lobos) (1989)

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LONDON, Dec. 18— The Soviet-born cellist Mstislav Rostropovich played in a benefit concert for Armenian earthquake victims Saturday night, after postponing a visit to India in order to participate in the event.
''It was very important for me to take part in this concert,'' the 61-year-old musician said before a last-minute rehearsal with the flutist James Galway, the conductor Andre Previn and other musicians who rearranged their schedules and donated time to perform.
Prince Charles and the Princess of Wales attended the concert in the sold-out 2,026-seat Barbican Hall.
The event was part of an effort called ''Musicians for Armenia,'' which was expected to raise more than $450,000 from donations worldwide, including gifts from musicians, concert proceeds and film and recording rights. International Broadcast
The British Association of Concert Agents organized the appeal to aid some of the thousands of people who survived the Dec. 7 earthquake that killed an estimated 55,000.
The Times of London reported that the concert was to be televised in Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Australia, Belgium and the Soviet Union. The British Broadcasting Corporation's world service rearranged its radio programming to allow its audience of about 25 million to hear the concert live.
''At the moment, with what has happened, I feel that all Armenians are my relatives,'' said Mr. Rostropovich, a United States citizen of Armenian descent, who is conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington.
On Friday, Mr. Rostropovich gave his first solo concert in Britain in nearly two decades, also in aid of Armenia. 'Best Qualities in People'
Mr. Previn, who conducted the English Chamber Orchestra during the concert Saturday, said before the program that it was ''amazing'' the musicians were able to join. ''In our business everyone's booked up for the next two or three years,'' he said. ''It was just good fortune that everyone could make it at such short notice.''
''This terrible catastrophe has provoked the best qualities in people,'' Mr. Rostropovich said. The cellist played Villa-Lobos's ''Bachiana Brasileira'' No. 1, then turned to the piano to accompany his Soviet-born wife, the soprano Galina Vishnevskaya, in works by Tchaikovsky.
Mr. Galway played Debussy's ''Syrinx'' and Mr. Previn conducted the English Chamber Orchestra in Beethoven's ''Coriolanus'' Overture. Others Who Performed
The Soviet pianist Andrei Gavrilov, whose family in Armenia escaped injury in the quake, played Mozart and Chopin.
The musicians also included the violist Yuri Bashmet, the pianist Barry Douglas and the violinist Cho-Liang Lin.