Andris Nelsons
Encyclopedia
Andris Nelsons is a Latvia
n conductor.
Nelsons was born in Riga
. His mother founded the first early music ensemble in Latvia, and his father was a choral conductor, cellist, and teacher. At age five, his mother and stepfather (a choir conductor) took him to a performance of Wagner's
Tannhäuser
, which Nelsons refers to as a profoundly formative experience: "...it had a hypnotic effect on me. I was overwhelmed by the music. I cried when Tannhäuser died. I still think this was the biggest thing that happened in my childhood."
As a youth, Nelsons studied piano, and took up the trumpet at age 12. He also sang bass-baritone, with a special interest in early music, in his mother's ensemble. He studied for one summer at the Dartington summer school
with Evelyn Tubb
. He seized his opportunity when a trumpeter fell sick in the orchestra of the Latvian National Opera
, conducted by Mariss Jansons. "The general manager was running round the hall before the concert crying, 'Can anyone play trumpet?' so I stepped up." That encounter led to private lessons with Jansons, "a dream come true".
Nelsons also studied conducting with Alexander Titov in Saint Petersburg
, Russia and participated in conducting master classes with Neeme Järvi
and Jorma Panula
. In 2003, Nelsons became principal conductor of the Latvian National Opera
. He concluded his tenure there after five years in 2007. There, Nelsons met the soprano Kristine Opolais, who was then a member of the Latvian National Opera chorus and later a solo singer with the company. The couple married in April 2011 and Nelsons took a month off for the birth of their first child in December that year. In 2006, Nelsons became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie
of Herford
, Germany, a post he held until the end of the 2008-2009 season.
In the UK, Nelsons' early work included studio concerts with the BBC Philharmonic
in Manchester
, and his first BBC Philharmonic concert at the Bridgewater Hall
was in November 2007. In October 2007, after an acoustic-test concert in Birmingham's restored Town Hall , the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
(CBSO) named Nelsons as its 12th principal conductor and music director, effective with the 2008-2009 season. His initial contract was for 3 years. The appointment was unusual in that Nelsons had conducted the CBSO only in a private concert and in a recording session, without a public concert engagement, prior to being named to the post. His first public conducting appearance with the CBSO was on 11 November 2007 in a matinee concert, and his first subscription concert appearance with the CBSO was in March 2008. In July 2009, Nelsons extended his CBSO contract for an additional 3 years, through the 2013-2014 season. With the CBSO, Nelsons has recorded music of Peter Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss
, and Igor Stravinsky
for the Orfeo label.
Nelsons first conducted at the Metropolitan Opera
in October 2009, in a production of Turandot. In July 2010, Nelsons made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival
, conducting a new production of Wagner's Lohengrin
at the opening performance of the festival. Nelsons made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
on March 17, 2011, replacing James Levine
in a performance of Mahler Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall
.
Latvia
Latvia , officially the Republic of Latvia , is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by Estonia , to the south by Lithuania , to the east by the Russian Federation , to the southeast by Belarus and shares maritime borders to the west with Sweden...
n conductor.
Nelsons was born in Riga
Riga
Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...
. His mother founded the first early music ensemble in Latvia, and his father was a choral conductor, cellist, and teacher. At age five, his mother and stepfather (a choir conductor) took him to a performance of Wagner's
Richard Wagner
Wilhelm Richard Wagner was a German composer, conductor, theatre director, philosopher, music theorist, poet, essayist and writer primarily known for his operas...
Tannhäuser
Tannhäuser (opera)
Tannhäuser is an opera in three acts, music and text by Richard Wagner, based on the two German legends of Tannhäuser and the song contest at Wartburg...
, which Nelsons refers to as a profoundly formative experience: "...it had a hypnotic effect on me. I was overwhelmed by the music. I cried when Tannhäuser died. I still think this was the biggest thing that happened in my childhood."
As a youth, Nelsons studied piano, and took up the trumpet at age 12. He also sang bass-baritone, with a special interest in early music, in his mother's ensemble. He studied for one summer at the Dartington summer school
Dartington Hall
The Dartington Hall Trust, near Totnes, Devon, United Kingdom is a charity specialising in the arts, social justice and sustainability.The Trust currently runs 16 charitable programmes, including The Dartington International Summer School and Schumacher Environmental College...
with Evelyn Tubb
Evelyn Tubb
Soprano Evelyn Tubb is a long-time member of The Consort of Musicke and one of the world's greatest early music specialists, known for her innovative and original performances. She originally comes from the Isle of Wight and studied piano, trumpet, violin and singing...
. He seized his opportunity when a trumpeter fell sick in the orchestra of the Latvian National Opera
Latvian National Opera
The Latvian National Opera , Riga, is the national opera of Latvia. The opera company includes the Latvian National Ballet , LNO Chorus, and LNO Orchestra.-History:...
, conducted by Mariss Jansons. "The general manager was running round the hall before the concert crying, 'Can anyone play trumpet?' so I stepped up." That encounter led to private lessons with Jansons, "a dream come true".
Nelsons also studied conducting with Alexander Titov in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, Russia and participated in conducting master classes with Neeme Järvi
Neeme Järvi
Neeme Järvi is an Estonian-born conductor.-Early life:Järvi studied music first in Tallinn, and later in Leningrad at the Leningrad Conservatory under Yevgeny Mravinsky, and Nikolai Rabinovich, among others...
and Jorma Panula
Jorma Panula
Jorma Panula is a Finnish conductor, composer, and professor of conducting.Panula is a graduate of the Sibelius Academy, where he studied the organ, church music and conducting...
. In 2003, Nelsons became principal conductor of the Latvian National Opera
Latvian National Opera
The Latvian National Opera , Riga, is the national opera of Latvia. The opera company includes the Latvian National Ballet , LNO Chorus, and LNO Orchestra.-History:...
. He concluded his tenure there after five years in 2007. There, Nelsons met the soprano Kristine Opolais, who was then a member of the Latvian National Opera chorus and later a solo singer with the company. The couple married in April 2011 and Nelsons took a month off for the birth of their first child in December that year. In 2006, Nelsons became chief conductor of the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie
Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie
The Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie is a German symphony orchestra based in Herford. It was founded in 1950 and, along with Philharmonie Südwestfalen and Landesjugendorchester NRW, is one of the 'official' orchestras of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia...
of Herford
Herford
Herford is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, located in the lowlands between the hill chains of the Wiehen Hills and the Teutoburg Forest. It is the capital of the district of Herford.- Geographic location :...
, Germany, a post he held until the end of the 2008-2009 season.
In the UK, Nelsons' early work included studio concerts with the BBC Philharmonic
BBC Philharmonic
The BBC Philharmonic is a British broadcasting symphony orchestra based at Media City UK, Salford, England. It is one of five radio orchestras maintained by the British Broadcasting Corporation. The orchestra's primary concert venue is the Bridgewater Hall....
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, and his first BBC Philharmonic concert at the Bridgewater Hall
Bridgewater Hall
The Bridgewater Hall is an international concert venue in Manchester city centre, England. It cost around £42 million to build and currently hosts over 250 performances a year....
was in November 2007. In October 2007, after an acoustic-test concert in Birmingham's restored Town Hall , the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra is a British orchestra based in Birmingham, England. The Orchestra's current chief executive, appointed in 1999, is Stephen Maddock...
(CBSO) named Nelsons as its 12th principal conductor and music director, effective with the 2008-2009 season. His initial contract was for 3 years. The appointment was unusual in that Nelsons had conducted the CBSO only in a private concert and in a recording session, without a public concert engagement, prior to being named to the post. His first public conducting appearance with the CBSO was on 11 November 2007 in a matinee concert, and his first subscription concert appearance with the CBSO was in March 2008. In July 2009, Nelsons extended his CBSO contract for an additional 3 years, through the 2013-2014 season. With the CBSO, Nelsons has recorded music of Peter Tchaikovsky, Richard Strauss
Richard Strauss
Richard Georg Strauss was a leading German composer of the late Romantic and early modern eras. He is known for his operas, which include Der Rosenkavalier and Salome; his Lieder, especially his Four Last Songs; and his tone poems and orchestral works, such as Death and Transfiguration, Till...
, and Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
for the Orfeo label.
Nelsons first conducted at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
in October 2009, in a production of Turandot. In July 2010, Nelsons made his debut at the Bayreuth Festival
Bayreuth Festival
The Bayreuth Festival is a music festival held annually in Bayreuth, Germany, at which performances of operas by the 19th century German composer Richard Wagner are presented...
, conducting a new production of Wagner's Lohengrin
Lohengrin (opera)
Lohengrin is a romantic opera in three acts composed and written by Richard Wagner, first performed in 1850. The story of the eponymous character is taken from medieval German romance, notably the Parzival of Wolfram von Eschenbach and its sequel, Lohengrin, written by a different author, itself...
at the opening performance of the festival. Nelsons made his debut with the Boston Symphony Orchestra
Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Boston Symphony Orchestra is an orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts. It is one of the five American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five". Founded in 1881, the BSO plays most of its concerts at Boston's Symphony Hall and in the summer performs at the Tanglewood Music Center...
on March 17, 2011, replacing James Levine
James Levine
James Lawrence Levine is an American conductor and pianist. He is currently the music director of the Metropolitan Opera and former music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Levine's first performance conducting the Metropolitan Opera was on June 5, 1971, and as of May 2011 he has...
in a performance of Mahler Symphony No. 9 at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
.
External links
- Official website
- Andris Nelsons at Konzertdirektion Schmid
- CBSO page on Nelsons announcement, 2007
- Andris Nelsons on the Bayreuth Festival website
- Andris Nelsons on the Lucerne Festival website
- Interview with and biography of Andris Nelsons in cosmopolis.ch
- Lohengrin Cast 2010, Bayreuth Festival
- Susan Hall, "Meeting Conductor Andris Nelsons". Berkshire Fine Arts, 17 March 2011