Eri Klas
Eri Klas (7 June 1939 – 26 February 2016) was an Estonian conductor. He was born in Tallinn.[1]
Klas mainly worked in the Nordic scene since when?, but might be best known for his work leading the defunct Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. He premiered Alfred Schnittke's 1st Cello Concerto (Munich Philharmonic, 1986) and Peer Gynt ballet (Hamburg State Opera, 1989), and worked on the diffusion of the Estonian symphonic repertory. He was also active as a pedagogue, holding professorships at the Sibelius Academy (1993–97) and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre (1997 until his death), where he received an honorary doctorate.
He was decorated the Order of the Lion of Finland (1992, on the occasion of Finland's 75th Independence Day) and the Order of the White Star, and was an UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. In 1986, he was named a People's Artist of the USSR. A former Estonian lightweight junior boxing champion, he was also a member of the Estonian Olympic Committee.
References
- ^ Eesti Entsüklopeedia, vol. 14, p. 167. (Tallinn, 2000.)
External links
- Estonian National Cultural Foundation page on Eri Klas
- Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra page on Eri Klas
- Jewish Community in Estonia, February 2006 bulletin
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