YURY TEMIRKANOV 

Yury Temirkanov is one of the greatest conductors of the twentieth century, currently in the zenith of his career, fame and international recognition. His listeners admire his vivid temperament, commitment, depth and magnitude of his performances.

Music critics have noted with admiration his ability to easily establish contact with any musical group and to find solutions to the most difficult performance tasks. Having started playing violin and viola, Temirkanov did not consider the profession of conductor at all. His first meeting with a small symphony orchestra in Nalchik made a strong impression on him, however, and the man with the baton seemed like a magician to him. But it was a long way from this admiration to fulfilling his dream.

For over ten years Yuri Temirkanov was the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Mariinsky Theatre of Opera and Ballet in St. Petersburg. Temirkanov has repeatedly toured with the theater collective to many countries in Europe, Japan, and the United States. He was the first to introduce symphonic concerts at the Mariinsky Theatre. The well-known musician successfully conducted performances at many famous opera houses.

Temirkanov has performed with many major symphony orchestras around the world, including the Philadelphia Orchestra and those in Cleveland, Chicago, Berlin, Vienna and elsewhere. In 1979 he became the principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the London Royal Orchestra, and eventually became head of the latter. Yuri Temirkanov was the principal guest conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic and the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Marking the twentieth anniversary of his cooperation with the London Royal Orchestra, he stepped down as its chief conductor, leaving himself with the title of honorary conductor.

Temirkanov generously shares his skill with young conductors. He is a professor of the Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in St. Petersburg and professor emeritus of many foreign academies. He regularly conducts master classes abroad in the US, Italy and other countries.

He currently lives and works in St. Petersburg.

From the book LIFE MUSIC by Alexandra Kremer-Khomasuridze:

"I am very sorry that I did not become an artist. I drew all my childhood and was pretty good. Because my job requires dealing with people all the time, it often turns out quite unpleasant, generally. Musicians especially are often dissatisfied about what you didn't do for them. I have friends among artists and I always envy them! I think how lucky they are to go to the studio, shut the door, open a bottle of wine and sit down at the canvas ... The ability to be the master of your own life is bliss. Being a musician means nothing depends on you – you have to prove yourself over and over again. But I’ve stopped doing that. Now I never read the critics or listen to my own records.”

"I always start walking on stage with my left foot. Always! Why? I do not know! It's not related to anything. Anyway, if I started walking with my right foot, the concert would probably not be any better or worse. "