He became general artistic director of the Bolshoi Theatre in 2000, and in 2001 conducted the world premiere of the original version of Sergei Prokofiev's opera The Gambler.

[5] Not long afterwards he resigned, citing desertion by singers, production problems and hostile coverage by the Moscow press.

[8]Rozhdestvensky was considered a versatile conductor and a highly cultured musician with a supple stick technique.

In moulding his interpretations, he gave a clear idea of the structural outlines and emotional content of a piece, combined with a performing style which melded logic, intuition and spontaneity.

[3] In the Soviet Union, he recorded extensively with the big three major contemporary soloists David Oistrakh (violin),[9] Sviatoslav Richter (piano)[10] and Mstislav Rostropovich (cello).

[11] Rozhdestvensky is featured in the documentary Notes interdites: scènes de la vie musicale en Russie Soviétique (English title: "The Red Baton"),[12] which examines the hardships faced by musicians in the Soviet Union under Stalinism.

In it, he describes the political situation and its impact on his life, as well as those of Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Stravinsky, Richter and other colleagues.

As well, the documentary features Rozhdestvensky discussing the art of conducting, and includes footage of masterclasses, rehearsals with students from the Moscow Conservatory and Zürich's Tonhalle orchestra, as well as snippets of Rozhdestvensky conducting Shostakovich's 7th Symphony, Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet, and Alfred Schnittke's Dead Souls.