View source for Neeme Järvi

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{{Short description|Estonian and American conductor (born 1937)}}
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[[File:Neeme Järvi crop.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|Järvi at the [[Estonian Song Festival]] in 2009]]

'''Neeme Järvi''' ({{IPA|et|ˈneːme ˈjærʋi}}; born 7 June 1937) is an Estonian and American conductor.

==Early life==
Järvi was born in [[Tallinn]], [[Estonia]]. He initially studied music there, and later in [[Saint Petersburg|Leningrad]] at the [[Leningrad Conservatory]] under [[Yevgeny Mravinsky]], and [[Nikolai Rabinovich]], among others. Early in his career, he held posts with the [[Estonian Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra]], the [[Estonian National Symphony Orchestra]] and the [[Estonian National Opera]] in Tallinn. In 1971, he won first prize in the International Conductors Competition at the [[Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia]] in Rome. Järvi emigrated to the United States in 1980 with his family.<ref name="Poy">{{cite news |last1=Poy |first1=Fred |title=Symphony Conductor Says Soviet Art Bows to Politics |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/asbury-park-press-neeme-jrvi-born-1937/166226781/ |work=Asbury Park Press |date=March 12, 1980 |location=Asbury, NJ |page=27 |access-date=February 20, 2025 |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{Open access}}</ref> He became an [[Citizenship of the United States|American citizen]] in 1985.

==Career==
In 1982, he became the principal conductor of the [[Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra]], and held the post for 22 years, the longest-serving principal conductor in the orchestra's history. During his Gothenburg tenure, the recording profile and reputation of the orchestra greatly increased. He also helped to secure corporate sponsorship from [[Volvo]] that allowed the orchestra to increase in size from 80 to 110 players.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/jul/27/arts.highereducation | title=North stars | work=The Guardian | author=Tim Ashley | date=27 July 2001 | access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> He retained his post in Gothenburg until 2004, and now holds the title of Principal Conductor Emeritus (''Chefdirigent Emeritus'') with the orchestra.

Concurrently, Järvi was also Principal Conductor of the [[Royal Scottish National Orchestra]] (RSNO) between 1984 and 1988. At the time, he referred to his two orchestras as his "Berlin Philharmonic" (RSNO) and his "Vienna Philharmonic" (Gothenburg).<ref>Raymond M Williamson, "Welcome Back, Maestro!" in ''RSNO Programme'', 15 December 2006.</ref> With the RSNO, he made a number of landmark recordings for [[Chandos Records|Chandos]], notably [[Sergei Prokofiev|Prokofiev]] and [[Antonín Dvořák|Dvořák]] cycles as well as [[Richard Strauss|Strauss]]'s tone poems, various [[Dmitri Shostakovich|Shostakovich]] pieces, including Symphonies Nos. 4, 7 and 10, and the two violin concertos featuring [[Lydia Mordkovitch]]. After a guest-conducting appearance in December 2006 after a nine-year absence from the RSNO,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2006/dec/18/classicalmusicandopera1 | title=RSNO/Jarvi (Usher Hall, Edinburgh) | work=The Guardian | author=Rowena Smith | date=18 December 2006 | access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref> the orchestra named him their Conductor Laureate.

In the United States, Järvi became Music Director of the [[Detroit Symphony Orchestra]] in 1990. He served until 2005 and is now its Music Director Emeritus. In November 1996, Järvi conducted a joint concert by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic in Camden, New Jersey, to raise funds for the Philadelphia Orchestra, which was in the midst of a strike. He donated his services and received no fee for this concert. He received praise from US orchestra musicians for this gesture and expressed a lack of concern about the possibility that orchestral managers would be angry at him for doing so.<ref>{{cite news |title=Is Philadelphia Orchestra history? Strike: A 60-day musicians' strike threatens to end one of the world's most famous symphony orchestras, the Philadelphia Orchestra. |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1996/11/14/is-philadelphia-orchestra-history-strike-a-60-day-musicians-strike-threatens-to-end-one-of-the-worlds-most-famous-symphony-orchestras-the-philadelphia-orchestra/ |work=Baltimore Sun |date=14 November 1996}}</ref>

Järvi became Music Director of the [[New Jersey Symphony Orchestra]] (NJSO) in 2005, with an initial three-year contract. With the 2007 decision by the NJSO to sell its "Golden Age" collection of string instruments, there was press speculation as to whether Järvi would renew his contract with the NJSO, as he stated that their acquisition of this collection was an important factor in his decision to accept the music directorship. When asked about the possibility of leaving after 2008, he stated: "It's very possible, but I haven't thought about it yet."<ref>Peggy McGlone, "NJSO giving up prized strings".  ''The Star-Ledger'', 9 March 2007.</ref> In October 2007, the NJSO announced that Järvi had extended his contract as music director through the 2008–2009 season.<ref>Bradley Bambarger, "NJSO plays it safe on opening night". ''The Star-Ledger'', 15 October 2007.</ref> In February 2008, the orchestra announced the conclusion of Järvi's tenure as the NJSO's music director at the end of the 2008–2009 season.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2008/02/new_jersey_symphony_announces.html | title=New Jersey Symphony announces 2008–2009 season | work=Star-Ledger | author=Bradley Bambarger | date=13 February 2008 | access-date=16 February 2008}}</ref> In March 2009, the NJSO announced that Järvi had agreed to serve as the orchestra's artistic adviser, and named him their conductor laureate, after the scheduled conclusion of his contract as music director.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.njsymphony.org/documents/0910NJSOSeasonAnnouncement.pdf | title=New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Announces 2009–10 Season | publisher=New Jersey Symphony Orchestra | date=4 March 2009 | access-date=22 March 2009 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509081401/http://www.njsymphony.org/documents/0910NJSOSeasonAnnouncement.pdf | archive-date=9 May 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/22/nyregion/new-jersey/22wakinnj.html | title=State's Top Orchestra Faces Changes | work=New York Times | author=Dan Wakin | date=20 March 2009 | access-date=22 March 2009}}</ref>

In September 2005, Järvi became Chief Conductor of the [[Residentie Orchestra]] of [[The Hague]], with an initial contract of four years.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.playbillarts.com/news/article/1662.html | title=Hague Residentie Orchestra Names Neeme Järvi to Principal Conductor Post | work=Playbill Arts | author=Ben Mattison | date=22 March 2005 | access-date=20 February 2007}}</ref>  In February 2008, the Residentie Orchestra announced the extension of Järvi's contract as Chief Conductor through 2011.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nj.com/news/mustsee/index.ssf/2009/04/new_jersey_symphony_orchestra.html | title=New Jersey Symphony Orchestra music director ending celebrated tenure | work=The Star-Ledger | author=Bradley Bambarger | date=29 April 2009 | access-date=9 August 2009}}</ref> In November 2009, the Residentie Orchestra further extended his contract through the 2012–2013 season.<ref>{{cite press release | url=http://www.residentieorkest.nl/index.php?pageID=15&messageID=341 | title=Residentie Orkest verlengt contract Neeme Järvi | publisher=Het Residentie Orkest | date=24 November 2009 | access-date=4 October 2010 | archive-date=16 July 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716191058/http://www.residentieorkest.nl/index.php?pageID=15&messageID=341 | url-status=dead }}</ref> In August 2009, the [[Estonian National Symphony Orchestra]] announced the appointment of Järvi as its next music director, for an initial contract of three years.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.ph.msn.com/entertainment/article.aspx?cp-documentid=3533836 | title=Jarvi named orchestra chief in homeland Estonia | work=Agence France Presse | date=17 August 2009 | access-date=30 August 2009}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> In November 2010, Järvi resigned over the dismissal of the orchestra's director.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://news.err.ee/culture/3ebbd8e8-23e9-47b6-ae2c-277d61a3c765 | title=New Executive Director Appointed for National Symphony | work=CRR News | author=Erkki Sivonen | date=15 March 2011 | access-date=16 March 2011}}</ref> In September 2010, the [[Orchestre de la Suisse Romande]] named Järvi as its ninth artistic and musical director, as of 2012, with an initial contract of three years.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.tdg.ch/geneve/actu/surprise-osr-neeme-jaervi-prochain-chef-2010-09-22 | title=Surprise à l'OSR: Neeme Järvi sera le prochain chef | work=Tribune de Genève | author=Sylvie Bonier | date=22 September 2010 | access-date=16 October 2010 | archive-date=27 September 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927212542/http://www.tdg.ch/geneve/actu/surprise-osr-neeme-jaervi-prochain-chef-2010-09-22 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Body of work==
Järvi's discography includes almost 500 recordings<ref name= erso>[https://erso.ee/en/musicians/neeme-jarvi/ Neeme Järvi], Eesti Riiklik Sümfooniaorkester. Access-date 25 March 2025 {{in lang|en}}</ref> for labels such as [[BIS Records|BIS]], [[Chandos Records|Chandos]] and [[Deutsche Grammophon]].  He is best known for his interpretations of [[Romantic music|Romantic]] and 20th century [[classical music]], and he has championed the work of his fellow Estonians [[Eduard Tubin]] and [[Arvo Pärt]] (whose ''Credo'' he premiered in 1968). His interpretations of [[Jean Sibelius]] with the [[Gothenburg Symphony]] are also well known and his complete set of the Glazunov symphonies under Orfeo remains highly regarded (not to mention his recordings of Glazunov's orchestral works such as Scenes de Ballet, From the Middle Ages, The Sea, and the Raymonda Suite). He has also recorded several works that have rarely been recorded in their complete form – among them all of [[Edvard Grieg]]'s orchestral music, including the complete [[incidental music]] for ''[[Peer Gynt (Grieg)|Peer Gynt]]'', as well as [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s complete incidental music for [[Alexander Ostrovsky]]'s play [[The Snow Maiden (play)|''Snegurochka'' (''The Snow Maiden'')]], and all three of [[Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov|Rimsky-Korsakov]]'s symphonies and orchestral suites.

On SACD, he has recorded Tchaikovsky's complete symphonies (with the Gothenburg SO – BIS label) and ballets (with the Bergen PO – Chandos label). He has also made SACD recordings of music by [[Mahler]], [[Bruckner]], [[Wagner]], [[Joachim Raff|Raff]] and [[Kurt Atterberg|Atterberg]] for Chandos with his old orchestra, the Royal Scottish NO.

Järvi has given an annual master class, the Neeme Järvi Summer Academy, held until 2008 in [[Pärnu]], Estonia during the [[David Oistrakh]] festival. Since 2009, the masterclass has been held during the Leigo Music days in South Estonia. In addition, he has helped raise funds for the Estonian Academy of Music, which opened in September 2000.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article996902.ece | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110517030109/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article996902.ece | url-status=dead | archive-date=17 May 2011 | title=Giving them some stick | work=The Times | author=Hilary Finch | date=19 January 2004 | access-date=20 February 2007}}</ref>

For his extensive, high-quality discography, Järvi received the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2018 [[Gramophone Classical Music Awards|Gramophone Awards]].<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.gramophone.co.uk/awards/gramophone-classical-music-awards-2018/lifetime-achievement-award | title=Lifetime Achievement Award | access-date=5 August 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Järvi and his wife Liilia have three children, the conductors [[Paavo Järvi]] and [[Kristjan Järvi]] and the flautist Maarika Järvi. After emigrating to the United States, the Järvi family settled initially in [[Shrewsbury, New Jersey]].<ref name="wise">Wise, Brian. [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/04/18/nyregion/a-maestro-and-his-plans-for-reshaping-an-orchestra.html "A Maestro And His Plans For Reshaping An Orchestra"], ''[[The New York Times]]'', 18 April 2004. Accessed 27 September 2015.</ref> He and his wife now reside in [[New York City]].<ref name="wise"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.neemejarvi.ee/ Neeme Järvi official website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520081018/http://www.neemejarvi.ee/ |date=20 May 2011 }}
*{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=q32293}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20091216214742/http://www.njn.net/artsculture/starts/season04-05/2305.html NJN – New Jersey Public Television and Radio]
*[http://www.oistfest.ee David Oistrakh festival]
*[http://www.bruceduffie.com/jarvi.html Interview with Neeme Järvi], December 1987 in Chicago

{{s-start}}
{{s-culture}}
{{succession box | title=[[New Jersey Symphony Orchestra|Music Director, New Jersey Symphony Orchestra]] | before=[[Zdeněk Mácal]] | years=2005–2009| after=[[Jacques Lacombe]]}}
{{succession box | title=[[Residentie Orchestra|Chief Conductor, Het Residentie Orkest]] | before=[[Jaap van Zweden]] | years=2005–2012 | after=[[Nicholas Collon]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Detroit Symphony conductors}}
{{Gothenburg Symphony conductors}}
{{RSNO principal conductors}}
{{OSR conductors}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarvi, Neeme}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Musicians from Tallinn]]
[[Category:Järvi family|Neeme]]
[[Category:Estonian male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Soviet conductors (music)]]
[[Category:21st-century American musicians]]
[[Category:20th-century Estonian musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Estonian musicians]]
[[Category:Soviet emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Estonian diaspora in the United States]]
[[Category:People from Rumson, New Jersey]]
[[Category:American male conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century American conductors (music)]]
[[Category:20th-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century American male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century Estonian conductors (music)]]
[[Category:Deutsche Grammophon artists]]
[[Category:Tallinn Georg Ots Music School alumni]]
[[Category:Saint Petersburg Conservatory alumni]]
[[Category:People's Artists of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic]]
[[Category:Honoured Workers of the Arts Industry of the Estonian SSR]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Badge of Honour]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the National Coat of Arms, 3rd Class]]
[[Category:Knights of the Order of the Polar Star]]
[[Category:Principal conductors of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra]]
[[Category:Music directors of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra]]
[[Category:Music directors of the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande]]