Despite extravagant podium demeanor and a dry, quirky sense of humor, conductor Yuri Temirkanov established himself as one of the 21st century's most accomplished and challenging conductors. With two important orchestras under his care, he was a world figure and persuasive in the music of his own country but artistically curious and increasingly interested in other areas of the repertory. After having sharpened the ensemble within his venerable St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra, he wrought a similar advance within the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Accomplished without a single firing, his uplift in the accuracy of performance took place in an orchestra many regarded as already near world-class. Among Temirkanov's many recordings are exemplary ones of the Russian repertory, especially of works by Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, and Prokofiev. Temirkanov retired from conducting in 2022 and died on November 2, 2023, at age 84.