RIP Yuri Temirkanov

[Alex Brown]

"As head of two of Russia’s leading musical institutions, the Kirov (later, Mariinsky) Opera and Ballet Theatre (1976-88) and the Leningrad (later, St Petersburg) Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he was principal conductor for more than three decades from 1988, Yuri Temirkanov, who has died aged 84, was at the forefront of music in the Soviet Union for nearly half a century."

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/19/yuri-temirkanov-obituary

[Kerrison]

Post by Alex Brown
"As head of two of Russia’s leading musical institutions, the Kirov (later, Mariinsky) Opera and Ballet Theatre (1976-88) and the Leningrad (later, St Petersburg) Philharmonic Orchestra, of which he was principal conductor for more than three decades from 1988, Yuri Temirkanov, who has died aged 84, was at the forefront of music in the Soviet Union for nearly half a century."
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/19/yuri-temirkanov-obituary

Here he is at the BBC Proms in London's Royal Albert Hall in 1992 with the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. He conducted the Soviet version of Tchaikovsky's "Manfred" with its abridged finale, the ending of which cuts out the organ entry and repeats the closing pages of the first movement, complete with Toscanini's added tam-tam crashes ...

Especially for his English audience, he played Elgar's "Nimrod" as an encore. Note that the camera stays on him throughout and confirms what the Guardian says about his idiosyncratic baton-less conducting style with its "astonishing repertory of gestures" ...

[Herman]

Post by Kerrison
Note that the camera stays on him throughout and confirms what the Guardian says about his idiosyncratic baton-less conducting style with its "astonishing repertory of gestures" ...
http://youtu.be/qW6B15gURu0

Very strange piece of writing, this Guardian obit, which is more like an armchair critique of his podium manner.
So what if Term. was not a stickler? Many older conductors unstick themselves from the baton, as they get more secure in what they can do with their hands and face.That's not 'ideosyncrasies'. That's maturity. The idea is to get as little as possible between you and the orchestra. That's why some conductors try to work without a score, too. It's a distraction.

[Herman]

I watched the Nimrod video. Obviously it's a piece that (as it were) plays itself, but one cannot help but notice that he spends a lot of time looking away from the orchestra, making eye contact maybe five times in five minutes.
Younger generations need to be explained about the Karajan effect.
"Listen kids, once upon a time there was a conductor who rehearsed like a maniac, and then performed with his eyes closed all the time..."
I don't think there are any conductors these days who do this even for a minute. The orchestra would just say "Next!"

[[e-mail]]

Post by Herman
I watched the Nimrod video. Obviously it's a piece that (as it were) plays itself, but one cannot help but notice that he spends a lot of time looking away from the orchestra, making eye contact maybe five times in five minutes.
Younger generations need to be explained about the Karajan effect.
"Listen kids, once upon a time there was a conductor who rehearsed like a maniac, and then performed with his eyes closed all the time..."
I don't think there are any conductors these days who do this even for a minute. The orchestra would just say "Next!"

I like the way Temirkanov conducts, at least to watch, and while Nimrod is very well known, this style of conducting can only really be very effective with close association with an orchestra. At least he never ever did an impression of a metronome, so beloved by many of the present day younger conductors. I'd buy his Tchaikovsky symphonies with the RPO were they not presently available at exhorbitant prices on Amazon. Maybe some other source?

Ray Hall, Taree

[Gerard]

Post by ***@gmail.com
I like the way Temirkanov conducts, at least to watch, and while Nimrod is very well known, this style of conducting can only really be very effective with close association with an orchestra. At least he never ever did an impression of a metronome, so beloved by many of the present day younger conductors. I'd buy his Tchaikovsky symphonies with the RPO were they not presently available at exhorbitant prices on Amazon. Maybe some other source?
Ray Hall, Taree

I found his Tchaikovsky symphonies (with the RPO on RCA) disappointing.
Not bad, but very middle of the road.

[Alex Brown]

Post by Gerard
I found his Tchaikovsky symphonies (with the RPO on RCA) disappointing.
Not bad, but very middle of the road.

His RPO Rachmaninoff 2 is esteemed in some quarters as the very best recording. It's very good (if not, for me, 'the best').

I like his partial RCA Shostakovich cycle with the St Petersburg PO (1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13 + concertos etc). It's often a bit slower and more flexible than most, and as a result finds pathos in unexpected places.

[Kerrison]

Post by Alex Brown

Post by Gerard
I found his Tchaikovsky symphonies (with the RPO on RCA) disappointing.
Not bad, but very middle of the road.

His RPO Rachmaninoff 2 is esteemed in some quarters as the very best recording. It's very good (if not, for me, 'the best').
I like his partial RCA Shostakovich cycle with the St Petersburg PO (1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 13 + concertos etc). It's often a bit slower and more flexible than most, and as a result finds pathos in unexpected places.

Here's the third of his three encores given at the 1992 Proms concert in London by the St. Petersburg Philharmonic. However, not only do you get Temirkanov's "idiosyncratic" conducting style, you also get a special treat dreamed up by the BBC television director, aided and abetted by his audio engineer. The encore is the 'Pas de Deux' from Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" but for some inscrutable reason, the aforementioned TV director decided to turn the piece into a Harp Concerto. This means you not only get numerous close-ups of the lady harpist at work but also hear her instrument being given the full close-up microphone treatment, as would happen with any concerto soloist ...

I should add that in those days, the Royal Albert Hall was not air-conditioned and the TV lights made the place unbelievably hot. Indeed it was known on those occasions as the "Kensington Sauna." The Proms audience immediately behind the conductor were standing throughout in the arena, so it must have been quite an ordeal for them. Certainly Temirkanov himself made good use of his handkerchief!