Conductor Yuri Temirkanov: biography, professional activities

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Outstanding artists of world renown always attract a lot of attention. How did the life of Yuri Temirkanov develop, where did he study, how did he get into music, what are his most significant achievements? It all started at an early age.

Difficult happy childhood

In Nalchik, on December 10, 1938, a boy was born - Temirkanov Yuri Khatuevich. His father was a representative of the intelligentsia in the first generation, he was able to graduate from an institute in Moscow, then returned to his region, where he headed the Pedagogical Institute for a long time, and at the time of the birth of his fourth child he was in charge of the arts department of the Autonomous Okrug. From childhood, Yuri was in contact with creative people who came to their house. During the war, a large number of representatives of the creative intelligentsia were evacuated to the city: I. Grabar, I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, I. Moskvin. Young Temirkanov had a chance to communicate with these people, but contacts with S. Prokofiev, who became friends with the father of the future conductor and often visited the family, were of the greatest importance for him. He studied local folklore, and Yura listened to talk about music,legends and traditions, sitting on the knees of the great composer. The fate of Yuri's father was tragic; during the war he led a partisan detachment, but was captured and shot by the Nazis. The post-war years were not easy for the Temirkanov family, but nevertheless they were very happy for Yura. He enters a music school in the violin class and meets with exceptional teachers who, after the Ashgabat earthquake, came to work in Nalchik. Valery Fedorovich Dashkov, a student of Glazunov, a graduate of the Petrograd Conservatory, saw the boy's great talent and, in fact, determined his fate.

Gifts of Fate

Fate gives people chances, but they can't always take advantage of them. There are still lucky people who manage to catch luck, so was Yuri Temirkanov, whose biography is full of happy meetings. He was lucky with people. So, the first teachers at the music school and childhood meetings with Prokofiev helped him find his calling. Later, he will try to communicate with good people, while maintaining the moral principles and laws of friendship. The main gift that life has given him is the ability to be a Human, to remain true to his principles.

Comprehension of the profession

After graduating from school, on the advice of teachers, Yuri Temirkanov goes to Leningrad to continue his studies at the school at the conservatory. He enters the viola class of Grigory Isaevich Ginzburg, and also attends conducting lessons. So already at school he gets a seriousmusical training and mastering the basics of his future main profession. Yuri Temirkanov already understood then that he needed to get a serious education, so after school he entered the conducting department of the Leningrad Conservatory, and later went to graduate school. He treated his work with great responsibility, bordering on perfectionism, and this quality became his trademark.

Career Steps

In 1965 Yuri Temirkanov made his debut as a conductor at the Maly Opera and Ballet Theater in Leningrad with G. Verdi's La Traviata. In it, he showed high potential and talent, and he was immediately invited to work in this theater. Temirkanov worked in this institution until 1972. During this period, he conducts in classical productions: "Porgy and Bess", "Love Potion", and also participates in music competitions. In 1966 he won the first prize at the All-Union Conductors' Competition. This paved the way for him to international fame. After winning the competition, he goes to the USA on tour with the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, in which D. Oistrakh and K. Kondrashin also worked.

At this time, the conductor Yuri Temirkanov becomes in demand, he works very hard. He is in constant creative search and tries to set himself more and more difficult tasks. Since 1968, for 8 years, he has led the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonic, which during this period reaches a new level andbecomes the most famous in the city. Since 1976, he has been the chief conductor of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theatre, also becoming the artistic director of the theatre. At this time, the theater puts on powerful and demonstrative performances that make up the glory of this group: "Dead Souls", "War and Peace", "Peter I", "Eugene Onegin", "The Queen of Spades", "Pushkin", "Boris Godunov".

In 1988 he became the chief conductor of the academic symphony orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic named after D. D. Shostakovich. He is selected for this position by the team. And this becomes Temirkanov's special pride.

He is a guest conductor of the Bolshoi Theatre, where back in 1977 he directed a production of R. Shchedrin's opera Dead Souls.

In addition to conducting, Yuri Temirkanov is actively involved in teaching, he is a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. N. A. Rimsky-Korsakov and an honorary professor of many foreign musical educational institutions.

World fame

With the Kirov Theater and its symphony orchestra, the conductor began to actively tour abroad, and this brought him worldwide fame. Temirkanov brought the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra among the best musical groups in the world. In addition, the conductor collaborates with the greatest orchestras in the world, including the Philadelphia, B altimore, Vienna, Cleveland, Danish Radio, Dresden Philharmonic, and he led the Royal Orchestra of London for 20 years, and still remains its honorary conductor.

Temirkanov is invited to conduct at the best events in the world, for example, he stands at the podium at the celebration of Nobel laureates and conducts the orchestra in Rome during the performance of Verdi's Requiem. He was twice named conductor of the year by the Franco Abbiati Italian Prize. His touring schedule is planned for years ahead, and the maestro has big plans for the future.

Conductor achievements and awards

Temirkanov himself considers his most significant achievement the composition and repertoire of the academic symphony orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, which, over almost thirty years of leadership, was able to bring it into the top five orchestras in the world. The creative heritage of Yuri Temirkanov is extremely large. The Russian conductor collaborates with the most famous record labels, recording various works with the best orchestras. His dream is to play and record all 9 Mahler symphonies while he has only played 5 of them.

The list of his awards is also quite impressive. Temirkanov is a People's Artist of the USSR, a full cavalier of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, a laureate of state and presidential awards, and has many awards from other countries.

The purpose of life is good deeds

Yuri Temirkanov is distinguished by his seething energy and amazing integrity. He devotes a lot of time to his work, but he also has opportunities to engage in social and charitable activities. He established an award for especially gifted students of the school at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He was the initiatorcreation of the Arts Square festival and the International Fund for Cultural Initiatives in St. Petersburg. The maestro regularly participates with the orchestra in charity concerts, works with students, gives master classes in Russia and in the best music schools in the world.

Private life

Yuri Temirkanov rarely talks about his private life. She formed happily. He met his wife Irina Guseva at the Bolshoi Drama Theatre, the couple had a son, but, unfortunately, she died quite early. Yuri Temirkanov, whose nationality largely determines the attitude towards the family, because this is in the traditions of the peoples of the Caucasus, always speaks very respectfully and with great love about his wife. The maestro always declares that he has one love - his wife. She was a real keeper of the hearth, equipped the house, raised her son, met her husband and numerous guests. After her death, Temirkanov transferred all his love to his son and grandson, and he is also very kind to his other relatives.

Harmonious person - Temirkanov Yury Khatuevich

The conductor devotes his whole life to his work, he always strives for perfection and demands the same from the orchestra. Therefore, he has little time for other activities, but at the same time he is an extremely educated person. He loves painting very much, as a child he had noticeable artistic abilities, but music won in choosing a path. He reads a lot, communicates with friends, and among them there are many famous creative people. At the same time, Temirkanov is sure that the main thing is to remain human, not to betray conscience, and this lawhe never breaks in his life.