Temirkanov Insights
by Peter Minkler

I have been a professional musician for nearly 24 years.  During that time, I have performed countless concerts, with countless musicians. After all of these years, I can honestly say that rarely, oh so rarely, have I worked with a musician as extraordinary and as inspirational as Maestro Yuri Temirkanov. 

Each and every time he steps onto the podium, whether for a rehearsal or concert, I find myself learning something completely new about music and its interpretation.  I am continually encouraged to give more of myself than I ever thought possible.  He opens my eyes, my ears and my heart with an effortless gesture, a change in his eyes or facial expression, or a simple spoken phrase.  The unique depth of his musical knowledge and the insight he possesses is, I feel, unparalleled in the world today.

Although every moment spent with him is special and memorable, there are several instances of personal significance, which I would like to share:

Maestro Temirkanov first became acquainted with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1987, when the orchestra appeared on tour in the Soviet Union with former Music Director David Zinman in what was then known as Leningrad.  During the subsequent years, he appeared here in Baltimore as guest conductor on several occasions and earned the immediate admiration and respect of BSO musicians.  His rapport with this orchestra was instantaneous, palpable and undeniable.

In 1995, the programming for one of these concerts included the Symphony #1 by Dimitri Shostakovitch.  Within the work, there is an unusual solo for the third chair viola which involves playing an open “G” string for 7 measures.  As fortune would have it, I was the one who played the solo that night.  At the end of the piece, I was shocked and surprised to be offered a solo bow for playing my open string.  This gesture was completely unexpected as this tradition is usually reserved for principal players for whom solos are traditionally written.  I feel this simple act illustrates Maestro Temirkanov’s belief that each musician on stage has something of value to bring to the music, and to the audience.  Every note, no matter how seemingly unimportant, is an integral part of a successful performance.

A few years later, I was proud to take on the role as Chairman for the Musicians of the Music Director Search Committee as we conducted our two-year search for the next Music Director of the BSO for which Maestro Temirkanov was subsequently appointed.  Because of my position at the time, I have forged a special rapport with him and consider myself a most fortunate benefactor of his wisdom.  On the occasions when I have spoken with him privately, I have found him to be a consummate gentleman – gracious and humble, warm, open, intelligent, insightful and always ready to share thought-provoking ideas.  His dry wit and humor is given away by the mischievous glint in his eyes.  Even during these seemingly benign conversations, he continually challenges me to explore music in new and original ways.  Our conversations have run the gamut from the mundane to the sublime, yet I always come away from our discussions feeling invigorated and eager to put his thoughts and ideas into practice.  He is a Maestro in the truest sense of the word.

There is one electrifying concert I remember playing with Maestro Temirkanov during our first international tour with him at the helm.  It was December 4, 2001 and our premiere performance in Berlin’s Philharmonie Concert Hall.  We performed Beethoven’s Symphony #3 (“Eroica”), a war-horse of the standard repertoire.  To play Beethoven in Berlin was a daunting task, and I wouldn’t be exaggerating to say that all of us on stage approached this concert with much trepidation.  But from the very first downbeat, it was clear that this was going to be no ordinary performance.  Throughout the piece, the orchestra played with a deeper, more meaningful purpose as well as indescribable momentum and energy – it was as if the music were being created and played for the very first time.  Everything just felt right.  When the concert ended we were met with thunderous applause and we knew that on this night, we had achieved a performance as close to perfection as was humanly possible.  It is for moments such as these that those of us on stage do what we do.  It was an evening never to be forgotten.

One of the more humorous incidents I would like to share occurred on November 14 and 15, 2002.  We were performing The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky.  During the “Sacrificial Dance” sequence at the end of the work, the string section plays in a particularly violent, slashing and percussive style.  On the first night, as I was slashing away, I looked up and my eyes met with those of Maestro Temirkanov’s.  At that very same moment, my “A” string broke with a loud and
unexpected “POP”.  We were both startled and surprised by this occurrence and our eyes, simultaneously, bulged out of our heads.  Without missing a note, I played the remainder of the piece with only three strings – quite a challenge I must admit.  Following the concert, I replaced the unfortunate string and returned the next evening to play the second performance.  Just as had happened the previous night, my eyes met with those of the Maestro’s at the same instance during the “Sacrificial Dance”.  Impossible as it is to believe, during this repeat performance, the brand new string broke while I was playing the exact same measure as the night before!  This time, the Maestro and I shared a smile and acknowledged the humor of the situation.  At the conclusion of the work, he looked at me, smiled again and shook his head in disbelief.  We had both shared one of those rare moments in time, which inextricably bind two people together.  It is an odd, but special memory.

Three additional concerts of note stand out in my mind.  The first is a performance of Rachmaninoff’s Symphony #2 on September 23, 2004.  There was something magical in the air that evening.  The Maestro once said, and allow me to paraphrase, that playing music is like going to church.  It is a way of making an offering to a higher being.  And that is just how this performance revealed itself that night.  Each musician was giving, offering if you will, all of him or herself to the moment, to the music and to the Maestro.  It was a gripping performance full of fire and excitement. 

The next was April 8, 2005, the night we played Symphony #4 by Gustav Mahler.  This was a most heartfelt and tender interpretation, and one in which Maestro Temirkanov demonstrated his unique ability to draw the beauty of the music from the score while simultaneously putting his personal interpretive stamp on a well-known piece.  I felt that the slow movement in particular ached with indescribable anguish yet still revealed optimism and hope.  My wife was in the audience that evening and was brought to tears by the beauty of what she had heard.  I mentioned my wife’s tears to Maestro Temirkanov the next time we spoke, and he said, with his familiar smile, “Good wife.”

And finally, October 14, 2005 – the Sibelius Symphony #2.  This was yet another magical evening nearly impossible to put into words.  This piece in particular demonstrates the Maestro’s overall belief that it is not only the notes on the page which make music, but the silence and resulting tension between the notes which create memorable moments.  At one point during a rehearsal, he relayed a story that occurred during his student days in which his teacher suggested that, as an experiment, he try conducting fast while having the orchestra play slowly.  The result of this experiment created rhythmic tension between the conductor and different parts of the orchestra.  This rhythmic tension is akin to two tectonic plates grinding against one another – pushing and pulling simultaneously, creating untold energy.  And just as it does within the earth’s crust, so it does in music: This energy infuses every part of the score and creates a dynamic sense of creative tension.  The Maestro admitted that he is just now, lo these many years later, beginning to understand the meaning and value of his teacher’s suggested experiment and has only recently begun putting it into practice.  And we, the musicians as well as the audience members, were fortunate to bear witness to the results of the experiment, for it yielded a night of eloquent and heartfelt playing inspired by a simple, yet complex man who chooses to let all music speak for itself. 

And so let us celebrate the rare and genuine talents of Maestro Yuri Temirkanov – his vision and unwavering interpretative ability, his intrinsic sense of the organic structure of each composition thus allowing each work to come alive in the most natural and inspiring way possible, his unique talent for drawing the most out of each musician with the simplest of gestures and his skill of putting his own personal stamp on each composition while remaining true to the music and its composer.

Throughout our lives, our paths all too infrequently cross with those who can evoke such lasting and meaningful impressions upon us.  Because of his extraordinary leadership, both my professional and personal life has been made all the richer.  Those of us who have been fortunate enough to work with him during his tenure in Baltimore have been given a truly special gift indeed.  And although a private man of few words, Maestro Temirkanov’s vision becomes crystal clear to those who experience and embrace his performances and listen with open ears, and open hearts. 

Peter Minkler and Yuri Temirkanov photo by Robert J. Smith, Jr