Mourning for a great Russian Maestro, 76

The excellent Russian conductor Michail Jurowski died yesterday in a Berlin hospital of organ failure at the age of 76.

His two sons, Vladimir and Dmitri, are international conductors. His daughter, Maria, is a music teacher.

Mikhail Jurowski was descended from a Jewish musical dynasty. His father Wladimir was a composer, his grandfather the conductor David Block. Mikhail grew up in a family that was friendly with Dmitri Shostakovich and played four-hand as a young man with the composer.

His career in the Soviet Union was impeded by antisemitism (so his son has told me) and he left in 1989 for a post in East Germany. In 1999 he became principal conductor of Leipzig Opera for two years. From 1998 to 2006.[3] From 2006 to 2008, he was principal director of the WDR Rundfunkorchester Köln. He often conducted at Berlin Radio and across Scandinavia. In 1995 he conducted the premiere recording of Shostakovich’s unfinished opera, The Gamblers.

He had been in poor health over the past 20 years.

With soloist Vadim Gluzman

His son Vladmir Jurowski is chief conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra and Generalmusikdirektor of Bavarian State Opera.