Biography
Born in Moscow in 1945, Michail Jurowski is the son of the composer Wladimir Jurowski and grandson of the conductor David Block. His sons Vladimir and Dmitri are also internationally renowned conductors. Michail Jurowski grew up in a circle of internationally acclaimed artists of the former Soviet Union such as Ojstrach, Rostropovitch, Kogan, Gilels, and Khachaturian. Dmitri Shostakovich was a close family friend and he and Michail not only spoke often but would also play four-hand piano pieces together. Such experiences had a huge influence on the young musician and it is therefore no coincidence that today Michail Jurowski is one of the leading interpreters of Shostakovich’s music. In 2012 Michail Jurowski was awarded the third International Shostakovich Prize by the Shostakovich Gohrisch Foundation.
Michail Jurowski was educated at the Moscow Conservatoire, where he studied conducting under Leo Ginsburg and music science under Alexei Kandinsky. During his studies he assisted Gennady Rozhdestvensky at the National Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra of Moscow. While still a resident in Russia, he conducted the Music Theatre of Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko in Moscow and during his last years in the Soviet Union frequently conducted performances at the Bolshoi Theatre.
Recent News
Michail Jurowski – In Memoriam 25 December 1945 – 19 March 2022
It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of Maestro Michail Jurowski. He passed away on 19 March 2022. Born into a house of music, he will be remembered for his transformative and insightful interpretations, as well as being patriarch to a family of...
Michail Jurowski Conducts World Premiere Recording of Anton Rubinstein’s Moses
Michail Jurowski conducts the Polish Sinfonia Juventus, Warsaw Philharmonic and Artos Children’s choirs and an exceptional cast for the world premiere recording and performance of Anton Rubinstein’s monumental opera Moses. The cast features baritone Stanislaw Kuflyuk...
Michail Jurowski Wins “Le Muse” Award
Michail Jurowski has been announced as a recipient of an Accademia Internazionale “Le Muse” award. In a ceremony in Florence’s prestigious Salone dei Cinquecento in the Palazzo Vecchio on Saturday 9th of June, Maestro Jurowski was presented with the medal in the name...
Reviews
“…The baton drives with relentless accuracy… but the soul of the music is never forgotten. Jurowski epitomises the synthesis of precision and lyricism.”
“The conductor achieved the fusion of singers and musicians outstandingly well.”
More Reviews
“…The baton drives with relentless accuracy… but the soul of the music is never forgotten. Jurowski epitomises the synthesis of precision and lyricism.”
“The conductor achieved the fusion of singers and musicians outstandingly well.”
“The London Philharmonic Orchestra, playing under the lengthy baton of Michail Jurowski, gave us a tantalising reminder of the season in the form of Frank Bridge’s brief tone poem Summer, before ending their programme by plunging us into the icy chill of Tchaikovsky’s Winter Daydreams. … It was the finale which was especially wonderful, Jurowski relishing the anticipation of the joyous folk tune after the lugubrious opening with halting, teasing hesitations.”
Mark Pullinger, bachtrack.com Nov 23rd 2017
“Mikhail Jurowski is a connoisseur of the Russian repertoire. Revealing an immense craft, its direction sober, precise, efficient and economical … Mikhail Jurowski imposes an energetic tension that nourishes the more profound, disciplined and sometimes even sumptuous timbres of the whole orchestra”
Patrick Szersnovicz, Diapason Magazine June 8th 2017
“The artisan of this mile stone marking evening is a genuine wizard of the baton. Michail Jurowski galvanises the Orchestre National d’Île-de-France, from the overture and its bewitching silky legato strings, sounds that are rarely heard: superbly balanced desks, golden colour from the ensemble, shiny and deep at once with remarkable soloists. “
“Jurowski conducted precisely and powerfully, building up the colossus of the incredible orchestral Poem of Ecstasy and Prometheus / The Poem of Fire stone by stone. The conductor kept a fairly wide tempo which brought out the richness of the orchestration and instrumental brilliance”
“Michail Jurowski… was the mastermind behind the event, conducting the works with consummate skill and a commanding, bear-like presence. “
“★★★★★ One of the season’s most rewarding and unforgettable concerts.”
“Jurowski senior definitely had the measure of the piece, holding together the complex mix of improvisation and notated passages. He and the orchestra, who were clearly enjoying themselves, never flinched from being lurid and brazen when needed, particularly in the riotous second movement.”
“How hard and tirelessly the LPO, brass especially, worked to terrorize and humour us. The theatrics of Jurowski senior may have been deadpan – hands in pockets when the baton wasn’t needed – but you see where his son gets his absolutely clear and definitive beat from, every entry elegantly cued, and he shaped the multipart string slow movement towards a shattering climax and back.”
