Eri Klas (7 June 1939 – 26 February 2016) was an Estonian conductor. He conducted or served as artistic director for the Estonian National Opera, the

Finnish National Opera The Finnish National Opera and Ballet (; ) is a Finnish opera company and ballet company based in Helsinki. It is headquartered in the Opera House on the coast of the Töölönlahti bay in Töölö, which opened in 1993, and is state-owned throu ...

, the Danish Symphony Orchestra, the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tallinn Philharmonic, and the Novaya Opera.

Life

Klas was born in

Tallinn Tallinn is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Estonia, most populous city of Estonia. Situated on a Tallinn Bay, bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, it has a population of (as of 2025) and ...

on 7 June 1939. His mother was the concert pianist Anna Klas. His father, Eduard Klas, was killed in 1941, during the

Holocaust The Holocaust (), known in Hebrew language, Hebrew as the (), was the genocide of History of the Jews in Europe, European Jews during World War II. From 1941 to 1945, Nazi Germany and Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy ...

.''Eesti Entsüklopeedia'', vol. 14, p. 167. (Tallinn, 2000.) Klas joined the Estonian State Symphony Orchestra in 1959, where he played percussion. He trained to be a choir conductor at the Tallinn Conservatory at the same time, graduating in 1964 to train in orchestra conducting at the Leningrad Conservatory. He left the Estonian State Symphony Orchestra in 1965 when he became conductor of the Estonian National Opera. He was made the opera's artistic director and principal conductor in 1975. Klas became principal conductor of the

Royal Swedish Opera Royal Swedish Opera () is an opera and ballet company based in Stockholm, Sweden. Location and environment The building is located in the centre of Sweden's capital, Stockholm, in the borough of Norrmalm (borough), Norrmalm, on the eastern si ...

in 1985, principal visiting conductor of the

in 1990, and chief conductor of the Danish Symphony Orchestra in 1991. He also became chairman of the Estonian Cultural Committee in 1991. He became conductor laureate of the Estonian National Opera in 1994, and he left the Danish Symphony Orchestra in 1996 to become chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra. Klas became artistic director of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in 1998. He founded the Eri Klas Special Foundation for young musicians the same year. He became artistic director of the Tallinn Philharmonic in 2000. He ended his tenure as chief conductor of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra in 2003, instead becoming its principal guest conductor. Klas was made conductor laureate of the Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra in 2006. He became chief conductor of the Novaya Opera the same year.

Music

Klas was among the most globally well-known Estonian conductors. He broke precedent by touring through Europe with the Estonia National Opera. He was the first conductor for many Estonian composers, including

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in p ...

, Lepo Sumera, Eino Tamberg, Veljo Tormis, and

Eduard Tubin Eduard Tubin ( – 17 November 1982) was an Estonian composer, conductor, and choreographer. Life Tubin was born in Torila, Tartu County, Governorate of Livonia, then part of the Russian Empire. Both his parents were music lovers, and his fath ...

. He taught at the Estonian Music Academy.

Personal life

Klas was a

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing (sport), rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) boxing weight classes, weight class in the spor ...

boxer, winning as a junior champion, and he later served on the

Estonian Olympic Committee The Estonian Olympic Committee (, EOK) is responsible for Estonia's participation in the Olympic Games. History The Estonian Sports Federation () decided to form the Estonian Olympic Committee in the First Estonian Sport Congress () on 30 Novem ...

. He was a

UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador is an official postnominal honorific title, title of authority, legal status, and job description assigned to those goodwill ambassadors and activists, advocates who are designated by the United Nations. The UNICEF, ...

. From 1972 until 1991, he was married to ballet dancer, singer and actress Ülle Ulla.

References

External links

Estonian National Cultural Foundation page on Eri KlasJewish Community in Estonia, February 2006 bulletin
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klas, Eri 1939 births 2016 deaths Musicians from Tallinn 20th-century Estonian Jews 21st-century Estonian Jews Estonian conductors (music) Estonian music educators 20th-century Estonian male musicians 20th-century Estonian musicians Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre alumni Academic staff of the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre People's Artists of the USSR People's Artists of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic Honoured Workers of the Arts Industry of the Estonian SSR Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Recipients of the Order of Friendship Recipients of the Order of the Lion of Finland Order of the Polar Star