Assessing Baltimore’s Temirkanov Years

“Yuri Temirkanov’s time with the Baltimore Symphony was relatively brief, just 6 1/2 years, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes on the glow of legend as time passes. He inherited what had long been a solid orchestra of the not-quite-top tier and proceeded to elicit, in concert after concert, nuances, tendernesses and reserves of feeling from the players that were often extraordinarily affecting. The best analogy I can come up with is that moment in “The Wizard of Oz” when the scene changes from black and white to full color and we are in a different world.”