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Over to the Southbank Centre in London by way of Radio Nacional de España in 2009 this week for a concert by The Bavarian Radio Symphony, led by Mariss Jansons and recorded on April 21, 2009.
The Concert begins with Mozart’s Symphony Number 36 K. 425 and then dives into Bruckner’s Symphony Number 4 “Romantic”.
Bio from Wikipedia:
Mariss Jansons (14 January 1943 – 1 December 2019) was best known for his interpretations of Mahler, Strauss, and Russian composers such as Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, and Shostakovich. During his lifetime he was often cited as among the world’s leading conductors; in a 2015 Bachtrack poll, he was ranked by music critics as the world’s third best living conductor. Jansons was long associated with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra (BRSO; 2003–2019) and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO; 2004–2015) as music director.
Born in Riga, Latvia, Jansons moved to Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) in 1956, where he studied conducting, and he received further training in Austria. He first achieved prominence with the Oslo Philharmonic, where he served as music director from 1979 to 2000. Besides the BRSO and RCO, he also directed the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra from 1997 to 2004; he was a frequent guest conductor with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra. Jansons recorded prolifically, and was the recipient of numerous awards.
In October 2002, Jansons was named the sixth Chief Conductor of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (RCO) of Amsterdam, effective 1 September 2004, succeeding Riccardo Chailly. His initial Amsterdam contract was for three years, and his commitment in Amsterdam was for twelve weeks per season. In April 2014, the orchestra announced that Jansons was to stand down as chief conductor after the 2014–2015 season. He conducted his final concert as chief conductor of the RCO on 20 March 2015, in the presence of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. He subsequently held the title of conductor emeritus of the KCO until his death.
In 2006, Jansons conducted the Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert for the first time. Also in January 2006, he was awarded MIDEM’s Artist of the Year Award in Cannes. In October 2007, Jansons (who was Lutheran) conducted Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra for Pope Benedict XVI and 7,000 other listeners in the papal audience hall (Auditorio Paul VI). Jansons conducted the Vienna New Year’s Concert for the second time in 2012, and for the third and final time in 2016.
Jansons died during the night of 30 November 2019/1 December 2019 at his home in the Tolstoy House, Saint Petersburg, as a result of a longstanding heart condition, aged 76.
On to the concert.
