Conductor Yury Temirkanov: biography, professional activities

Outstanding artists of world renown always attract a lot of attention. How 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.

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 the 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 the fourth child he was head of the Department of Arts of the Autonomous Okrug. Since childhood, Yuri has come into contact with creative people who came to their house. During the war, a large number of representatives of the creative intelligentsia evacuated to the city: I. Grabar, I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, I. Moskvin. Young Temirkanov was able to communicate with these people, but most important for him were contacts with S. Prokofiev, who became friends with the father of the future conductor and often visited the family. He studied local folklore, and Jura listened to conversations about music, legends and legends, sitting on his knees with the great composer. The fate of his father, Yuri, was tragic, he led a partisan detachment during the war, but was captured and shot by fascists. The post-war years became difficult for the Temirkanov family, but for Yura they were very happy. He enters the music school for a violin class and meets with exceptional teachers who came to work in Nalchik after the Ashgabat earthquake. Valery Fyodorovich 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 not always they can use them. There are still lucky people who manage to catch luck, so became Yuri Temirkanov, whose biography is full of happy encounters. He was lucky with people. Thus, the first teachers at the music school and children's meetings with Prokofiev helped him find his vocation. Later, he will try to communicate with good people, preserving the moral principles and laws of friendship. The main gift that life made to him is the ability to be a Man, to remain true to one's principles.

Comprehension of profession

At the end of the school, on the advice of teachers, Yuri Temirkanov goes to Leningrad to continue his studies at the conservatory school. He enters the viola class with Grigory Isaevich Ginzburg, and also attends lessons in conducting skills. So already at school he gets serious musical training and learns the basics of his future main profession. Yuri Temirkanov already understood then that he needed to receive a serious education, so after school he entered the conductor's faculty of the Leningrad Conservatoire, and later goes on 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 Leningrad Opera and Ballet with Verdi's opera 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 musical competitions. In 1966 he became a laureate of the first prize of the All-Union Conductors Competition. This opened the way to international glory. After winning the contest, he goes to the USA on a tour with the symphony orchestra of the Moscow Philharmonic, in which D. Oistrakh and K. Kondrashin also worked.

At this time, conductor Yuri Temirkanov becomes in demand, he works very hard. He is in constant creative search and is trying to set himself ever more difficult tasks. Since 1968, for 8 years, he headed the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmonic, which in this period reaches a new level and becomes the most famous in the city. Since 1976, he has become the chief 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, 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 chosen for this post by the collective. And this becomes a special pride for Temirkanov.

He is an invited conductor of the Bolshoi Theater, where, in 1977, he directed the production of R. Shchedrin's opera Dead Souls.

In addition to conducting Yuri Temirkanov actively engaged in teaching, he is a professor at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. NA Rimsky-Korsakov and an honorary professor of many foreign music schools.

World fame

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

Temirkanov is invited to conduct at the best events of the world, for example, he stands behind the panel at the celebration of Nobel laureates and conducts the orchestra in Rome during the performance of Verdi's Requiem. He twice became the conductor of the year according to the version of the Italian award Franco Abbiati. His tour schedule is scheduled for years ahead, and the maestro has big plans for the future.

Conducting achievements and awards

The most significant achievement of his own is Temirkanov himself the composition and repertoire of the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, which for almost thirty years of leadership has been able to lead the world's top five orchestras. The creative heritage of Yuri Temirkanov is extremely large. The Russian conductor cooperates with the most famous record labels, recording various works with the best orchestras. His dream is to play and record all 9 Mahler's symphonies while he played only 5 of them.

The list of his awards is also very impressive. Temirkanov is a People's Artist of the USSR, full holder of the Order of Merit for 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 his ebullient energy and tremendous integrity. He gives a lot of time to his work, but also he has opportunities to engage in public and charitable activities. He established a prize for gifted pupils of the school at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. He initiated the creation of the festival "Arts Square" and the International Foundation for Cultural Initiatives in St. Petersburg. The maestro regularly participates in charity concerts with orchestra, works with students, gives master classes in Russia and in the best musical educational institutions of the world.

Personal life

Yuri Temirkanov rarely speaks about his private life. She was developing happily. With his wife Irina Guseva he met at the Bolshoi Drama Theater, the couple had a son, but, unfortunately, she died rather early. Yuri Temirkanov, whose nationality largely determines the attitude towards the family, because it is in the traditions of the peoples of the Caucasus, always very respectfully and with great love speaks of his wife. The maestro always states that he has one love - his wife. She was a real keeper of the hearth, arranged the house, raised her son, met her husband and numerous guests. All the love of Temirkanov after her death was transferred to her son and grandson, and he is very anxious about his other relatives.

Harmonious person - Temirkanov Yuri Khatuevich

The conductor gives his life all his life, he always strives for perfection and the same demands from the orchestra. Therefore, he has little time for other studies, but at the same time he is an extremely educated person. He is very fond of painting, in his childhood he had notable artistic abilities, but music won in choosing a path. He reads a lot, communicates with friends, and among them there are a lot of famous creative people. At the same time, Temirkanov is sure that the main thing is to remain a man, not to betray his conscience, and he never breaks this law in his life.