Jansons, Mariss
Jansons, Mariss
Jansons, Mariss, prominent Latvian conductor, son of Arvid Yansons; b. Riga, Jan. 14, 1943. He studied at the Leningrad Cons., where he took courses in violin, viola, piano, and conducting. He profited from initial conducting studies with his father; then studied with Swarowsky in Vienna, Karajan in Salzburg, and Mravinsky in Leningrad. In 1971 he won second prize in the Karajan Competition in West Berlin; then made appearances with major orchs. and opera houses in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe; also conducted in Western Europe and America. In 1979 he was named chief conductor of the Oslo Phil, with which he toured Europe; also toured the U.S. with it in 1987. He likewise was closely associated with the St. Petersburg Phil., and from 1992 he was principal guest conductor of the London Phil. In 1994 he took the Oslo Phil, on a major tour of Europe and North America in celebration of its 75th anniversary. In 1996-97 he was music director designate and from 1997 music director of the Pittsburgh Sym. Orch.
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire