Mariss Jansons, whose work with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam cemented his reputation as one of the leading conductors of the past generation, has died at 76.
Jansons, the son of musicians, born in Latvia under Nazi occupation during World War II, emerged in the 1970s as a protégé of Herbert von Karajan and Yevgeny Mravinsky. He was chief conductor of the Oslo Philharmonic for 21 years (1979-2000), and served as music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (1997-2004). He was named chief conductor of the Concertgebouw in 2002, remaining in that post until 2015. He took over direction of the Bavarian Radio Symphony in Munich in 2003.
A prolific recording artist, Jansons was especially praised for his interpretations of Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Bruckner and Richard Strauss, although his discography ranges from Mozart and Haydn to modern and contemporary repertory.
An obituary by Barry Millington for The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2019/dec/01/mariss-jansons-obituary
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