Outstanding world famous artists always attract a lot of attention. What was the life of Yuri Temirkanov, where he studied, how he came to music, what are his most significant achievements? It all started at an early age.
Hard happy childhood
In Nalchik on December 10, 1938 a boy was born - Temirkanov Yuri Hatuevich. 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 land, where he headed the pedagogical institute for a long time, and at the time of the birth of his fourth child, he headed the department of art affairs in the autonomous okrug. From childhood, Yuri came into 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 the contacts with S. Prokofiev, who became friends with the father of the future conductor and often visited the family, were of the greatest importance. He studied local folklore, and Jura listened to conversations about music, legends and traditions, sitting on his knees by the great composer. The fate of Yuri's father was tragic, he led a partisan detachment during the war, but was captured and was shot by fascists. The post-war years were not easy for the Temirkanovs, but still they were very happy for Yura. He enters a music school at the violin class and meets with exceptional teachers who came to work in Nalchik after the Ashgabat earthquake. Valery Fedorovich Dashkov, a student of Glazunov, a graduate of the Petrograd Conservatory, discerned a lot of talent from the boy and, in fact, determined his fate.
Gifts of fate
Fate gives people chances, but not always they can take advantage of them. Still, there are lucky people who manage to catch luck, and Yuri Temirkanov became such, whose biography is full of happy meetings. He was lucky with people. So, the first teachers in a music school and children's meetings with Prokofiev helped him find his calling. Later, he will try to communicate with good people, while maintaining moral principles and laws of friendship. The main gift that life gave him is the ability to be a Man, to remain faithful to his principles.
Understanding the profession
At the end of the 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 with Grigory Isaevich Ginzburg, and also attends conducting classes. So already at school he receives serious musical training and masters the foundations of his future main profession. Yuri Temirkanov already understood that he needed to get a serious education, so after school he enters the conducting faculty of the Leningrad Conservatory, and later goes to graduate school. He with great responsibility, bordering on perfectionism, treated his work, and this quality became his trademark.
Career steps
In 1965, Yuri Temirkanov made his debut as a conductor at the Maly Theater of Opera and Ballet of Leningrad with the opera by J. Verdi “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 Drink", and also participates in music competitions. In 1966, he became the winner of the first prize of the All-Union Competition of Conductors. This opened the way for him to international fame. After winning the competition, he goes on tour with the Moscow Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra , which also included D. Oistrakh and K. Kondrashin.
At this time, the conductor Yuri Temirkanov becomes in demand, he works a lot. He is in constant creative search and is trying to set himself increasingly difficult tasks. Since 1968, for 8 years, he has been the head of the Leningrad Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra, which during this period goes to a new level and becomes the most famous in the city. Since 1976, he stands for the main conductor of the Kirov Opera and Ballet Theater, becoming also the artistic director of the theater. At this time, the theater puts on powerful and revealing performances that make up the glory of this collective: Dead Souls, War and Peace, Peter I, Eugene Onegin, Queen of Spades, Pushkin, Boris Godunov .
In 1988, he became the main conductor of the D. D. Shostakovich Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The staff selects him for this position. And this becomes a special pride of Temirkanov.
He is a guest conductor of the Bolshoi Theater, where back in 1977 he directed the 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 professor emeritus of many foreign music 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 made the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra one of the best music groups in the world. In addition, the conductor collaborates with the greatest orchestras in the world, including the Philadelphia, Baltimore, Vienna, Cleveland, Danish Radio, Dresden Philharmonic, and he led the London Royal Orchestra 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 behind a panel at a celebration of Nobel laureates and conducts an orchestra in Rome during the performance of Verdi's Requiem. He twice became the conductor of the year according to the Italian Prize Franco Abbiati. His tour schedule is scheduled for the years ahead, and the maestro has big plans for the future.
Conducting achievements and awards
Temirkanov himself considers the composition and repertoire of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Academic Symphony Orchestra to be his most significant achievement, which he managed to bring to the top five best orchestras in the world for almost thirty years of leadership. 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 of Mahler’s 9 symphonies, while he played only 5 of them.
The list of his awards is also very impressive. Temirkanov - People's Artist of the USSR, full holder of the Order for Merit to the Fatherland, laureate of state and presidential prizes, has many awards from other countries.
The purpose of life is good deeds
Yuri Temirkanov is distinguished by boiling 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 instituted a prize for especially gifted students at the school at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He initiated the creation of the Art Square festival and the International Fund for Cultural Initiatives in St. Petersburg. The maestro regularly participates in charity concerts with the orchestra, works with students, gives master classes in Russia and in the best music educational institutions in the world.
Personal life
Yuri Temirkanov rarely speaks about his private life. She was developing happily. He met his wife Irina Guseva at the Bolshoi Drama Theater, the couple had a son, but, unfortunately, she died quite early. Yuri Temirkanov, whose nationality largely determines his attitude to the family, because it is in the traditions of the peoples of the Caucasus, always very respectfully and with great love talks 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 many guests. Temirkanov transferred all his love after her death to his son and grandson, and he is also very kind to his other relatives.
Harmonious man - Temirkanov Yuri Hatuevich
The conductor gives 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 classes, but at the same time he is an extremely educated person. He loves painting very much, in his childhood he had noticeable artistic abilities, but music won the choice of paths. He reads a lot, communicates with friends, and among them there are many famous creative people. Moreover, Temirkanov is sure that the main thing is to remain a man, not to betray a conscience, and he never breaks this law in his life.