The artistic director of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, Yuri Temirkanov, has died. Obituary

The legendary Russian conductor Yuri Temirkanov died at the age of 85. Yuri Khatuevich gave his last concert on the stage of the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, whose artistic director he served for 35 years, on January 12, 2020, even before the covid epidemic swept the world. The concerts announced in April and May have already been cancelled, and in January 2022 the maestro officially resigned from his post as chief conductor of the oldest symphony orchestra in our country, the Honored Ensemble of Russia.

Since his last appearance at the controls, Temirkanov has practically not appeared in public, has not given interviews, having actually gone into seclusion, immersed in reading his favorite books, something he so dreamed of back in the 90s, at the peak of popularity and fame. But, despite Temirkanov’s absence from public space, his presence in our physical world gave the Philharmonic a sense of support and protection, just as we feel the strength of our parents and mentors while they are alive. On December 24, as part of the Arts Square festival initiated by Temirkanov, it was planned to solemnly celebrate the 85th anniversary of the artistic director in the Great Hall with a large gala concert with the participation of long-time friends of Yuri Khatuevich. And loyal fans probably had a ghostly hope of seeing the hero of the occasion in his usual place in the box, to the right of the stage. Did not happen. The era of Temirkanov is over.

In his interviews, Temirkanov repeatedly said how he saw the Great Hall of the Leningrad Philharmonic for the first time at the age of thirteen, experiencing a real shock. A talented boy from provincial Nalchik was brought to the famous ten-year school, a school at the conservatory, where he instantly became one of the leaders. A difficult post-war childhood, fatherlessness (the head of the Department of Arts of Kabardino-Balkaria, Khata Sagitovich Temirkanov, was shot by the German invaders for participating in the partisan movement) gave way to a hopeful youth. Having graduated with honors from opera and symphony conducting in the class of the legendary Ilya Musin, in 1966 Temirkanov became the winner of the Second All-Union Conducting Competition, and then his career went up and up.

Conductor of the Leningrad Maly Opera, Mravinsky’s assistant, artistic director of the Academic Symphony Orchestra (second orchestra of the Philharmonic), chief conductor of the Kirov Theater, and finally, chief conductor and artistic director of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic, who won an honest vote. In addition to his phenomenal manual technique, which was immediately noted by reviewers (“A hand carving music,” read the headline of an article in the newspaper “Evening Leningrad” on February 1, 1969), Temirkanov always had enormous external and internal charm, which invariably attracted people to him.

The word “freedom” for Temirkanov was one of the guidelines. He was never a dissident, but he always achieved what he considered necessary.

At MALEGOT, he staged Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess” for the first time, simultaneously explaining to officials that this is an opera about “the oppression of the black population in imperialist America.” Having assumed the position of chief conductor of the Kirov Theater, he refuses to join the party, citing the fact that, according to Caucasian traditions, he cannot do this ahead of his non-party older brother. He personally directs the operas of the idolized Tchaikovsky – “Eugene Onegin” and “The Queen of Spades” staged by him at the Mariinsky Theater to this day. However, freedom never meant permissiveness for Temirkanov, and if the conductor was not satisfied with something (whether it was ridiculous direction or unacceptable conditions for him), he left, slamming the door, despite the most favorable conditions and tempting promises.

It just so happened that the years of Yuri Temirkanov’s philharmonic reign coincided with a period of openness to the world. The roaring (or dashing) nineties, the well-fed noughties were marked by the arrival in St. Petersburg of a huge number of stars and first-class artists, which was impossible to imagine under Soviet rule. Yuri Khatuevich really maintained contacts with the whole world, even during the “Iron Curtain” he performed with incredible success on different continents, and when the curtain fell, the number of tours increased many times over. A winner of various prizes and awards, holder of honorary titles, Temirkanov was sincerely adored by musicians and listeners.

His attentiveness to soloists, his ability to hear a pianist, violinist or vocalist was amazing. Everyone who went on stage with Yuri Khatuevich remembers it as a completely unforgettable experience.

Especially for young musicians, Temirkanov founded his own foundation, which provides assistance to young talents.

In that last, as it turned out, farewell concert in the Great Hall, conducted by Yuri Khatuevich, “Songs about Dead Children” by Gustav Mahler, the maestro’s favorite composer, were performed. The last part of this cycle, amazingly sung that evening by Matthias Gerne, speaks of the contrast between raging nature and home comfort in the palace of the Creator: “They sleep peacefully at home, sheltered from all storms.” The master left, leaving us amid thunder and lightning, but giving us hope that the art of music will definitely help us on a difficult path.

Georgy Kovalevsky