Biography
Below are select highlights from Yakov Kreizberg’s life and career, showcasing his profound impact on music and those who knew him
Early Life & music studies
Born in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) in the Soviet Union in 1959, Kreizberg began studying piano at the age of 5, later composing at age 13 at the Glinka Choir School. Not long after, he began studying conducting privately with the legendary Ilya A. Musin, who recognized his promising talent and offered him lessons at no cost.
In 1976, at age 16, he emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City, where he proceeded to attend the Mannes College of Music. While still in school, one of his first public appearances was at Manhattan’s Marble Collegiate Church in 1980. Quickly progressing through his studies at Mannes, by 1981 he had received both his undergraduate and graduate degrees. During that time he spent several summers at Tanglewood, where he studied with Leonard Bernstein, Erich Leinsdorf and Seiji Ozawa. On Ozawa’s advice, Kreizberg attended the University of Michigan School of Music, pursuing a doctorate in music with teachers including Gustav Meier. There, he was awarded the school’s Eugene Ormandy Prize for conducting.
Kreizberg (center, seated) with Seiji Ozawa, standing to his right, and Leonard Bernstein, standing far right, at Tanglewood, 1981Beginnings as a conductor & piano accompanist
Returning to New York from Michigan in 1985, Kreizberg led the Mannes College Orchestra and taught conducting. In 1986 he won first prize in the Leopold Stokowski Conducting Competition, debuting at Carnegie Hall shortly thereafter.
As a pianist, he accompanied singing students at Mannes and productions at the Theatre Opera Music Institute, before proceeding to accompany renowned soprano Roberta Peters in the late 1980s. Together they toured internationally, including a performance at the White House for then-President Ronald Reagan.
Though Kreizberg would become best known for his conducting, he did return to the piano in two albums, accompaning Julia Fischer in Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir d’un lieu cher and Rico Saccani in a live-performance release of the two-hands versions of The Rite of Spring and An American in Paris.
Prominence in German Opera
Kreizberg’s first appointment as General Music Director came in 1988, at the United Municipal Theaters of Krefeld and Mönchengladbach. At age 27, he was the youngest GMD ever appointed in Germany at that time. Remaining there until 1994, his performances included a notable revival of Aribert Reimann's opera-oratorio Troades, which was praised by the composer himself.
Beginning in 1994, Kreizberg held the title of GMD of the Komische Oper Berlin. Critics quickly took notice of his effect on the ensemble: “This was Yakov Kreizberg's inaugural production as the Komische Oper's music director and already he has made a startling impact on the orchestra's playing” (The Sunday Times).
During his tenure there through 2001, he conducted ten new opera productions, 38 orchestral concerts and two ballets. Memorably, in 1994, Kreizberg conducted Berthold Goldschmidt's Der gewaltige Hanrei in its first staging since 1932, when it had been banned by the Nazis. He would also record Goldschmidt’s Clarinet Concerto and his Chronica for Decca, the former of which as a World Premiere recording. Other work in contemporary opera included Hans Werner Henze's König Hirsch.
In 1997 Kreizberg was awarded the Kritikerpreis für Musik in 1997 by the Verband der deutschen Kritiker e.V., the German music critics association, for his work at the Komische Oper.
Renown in the united kingdom
In 1993, Kreizberg made his debut at The Proms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, after which The Times UK wrote: “The young Leningrad-born conductor, Yakov Kreizberg, met the BBC Symphony Orchestra to extraordinary effect [...] its entire existence rippled with the energy of a young man at the height of his powers." He went on to return each year from 1994 to 2000, with further appearances into the late 2000s.
Soon after his Proms premiere, Kreizberg made the shortlist to become head of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. “Fearlessly, he bid for the post with music by the little remembered Ernst Krenek and, having bagged it, launched his tenure with Webern to counterbalance Mozart and Brahms” (The Times UK).
He assumed their directorship in 1995, remaining until 2000. During his tenure, he led the orchestra in its Carnegie Hall debut in 1997 as well as a tour of the US, earning significant acclaim and recognition for the ensemble. While at Bournemouth, he conducted the UK premiere of Berthold Goldschmidt's Passacaglia, op. 4, in 1996 in the presence of the composer, just months before Goldschmidt died. He also conducted the World Premiere of Peteris Vasks's Symphony No. 2 in 1999 at The Proms. Vasks dedicated his work to Kreizberg.
Tony Woodcock, then the Bournemouth manager, would later write: “Yakov became our Music Director in 1995. He was then in his mid-30’s. Young but with an astonishing worldliness and musical maturity. He was driven. Driven by his own ambition but perhaps more, driven by his vision for music-making. His energy was boundless. His charm was Russian and therefore undeniable. […] There began a golden time for the Bournemouth Symphony with Yakov at the helm. We undertook major national tours, gave London concerts, appeared at the BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London, and paraded our virtuosity on international tours in Europe and the US. […] My experiences with Yakov were among the happiest in my professional life. And the best times were on tour. He was enormously disciplined, never drank alcohol, studied scores voraciously, but had the twinkle, energy and sense of the absurd to make touring a party. “
Yakov Kreizberg leads the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in its Carnegie Hall premiere, 1997international recognition
Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, Kreizberg guest conducted many of the world’s leading symphony orchestras and opera houses, often to critical acclaim from critics and players alike. His 1993 premiere at the Glyndebourne Opera, in a production of Janacek’s Jenufa, was described by The Sunday Times as “among the most sensational debuts here in living memory.”
His 1999 debut with the New York Philharmonic was described as “riveting” by one critic, who wrote that “conducting from memory, he seemed to become one with the music and the musicians, who played magnificently.”
Charles Noble, viola player in the Oregon Symphony, remarked about Kreizberg’s four visits in 2003 and 2005: “he was one of the best conductors that we’ve worked with here at the Oregon Symphony. […] The performances we did […] will forever be etched in my mind as defining musical experiences.”
At the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, The Gazette observed in 2003 that "[a] matter of minutes after Yakov Kreizberg took to the stage of the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier, he served notice that one of the best Montreal Symphony Orchestra performances of the season was under way.”
Notably, he performed over thirty times with the Philadelphia Orchestra, leading it on its 2003 Tour of the Americas, during which the LA Times wrote: “As recently as five years ago, the critics were still calling the Russian-born Yakov Kreizberg a conductor on the way up. Unsurprising news: The 43-year-old musician from St. Petersburg has arrived.”
Wiener Symphoniker & austrian cultural life
From 2003 to 2009, Kreizberg held the position of Principal Guest Conductor of the Wiener Symphoniker, with which he also recorded Bruckner’s 7th Symphony, nominated for two Grammy Awards, and an album of Strauss Waltzes.
Johannes Neubert, then the Managing Director of the Wiener Symphoniker, would later remark: "Yakov Kreizberg was one of the most interesting conductors of his generation and very closely connected to our orchestra. […] During his time as the first guest conductor of the orchestra as well as in the many other years of long cooperation, he ensured unforgettable artistic highlights in the history of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra.”
Austria’s Minister of Culture, Claudia Schmied, also later paid tribute to the conductor: "Yakov Kreizberg stood for the internationality of music. He was at home wherever art was welcome. His cooperation with all major orchestras impressed the audience worldwide. His cooperation with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra is unforgettable for all of us.”
Vienna's City Councilor for Culture, Andreas Mailath-Pokorny, put it in these terms: "The musician with Russian roots was closely connected with the city of Vienna and its orchestra. As the long-standing first guest conductor of the Vienna Symphony Orchestra, he celebrated many musical successes and was thus also an international ambassador of the music city of Vienna. […] [T]he citizen of the world decided to accept Austrian citizenship and thus ultimately made Vienna his second home.”
Leading the Netherlands Philharmonic
In his longest association with an orchestra, Kreizberg held the post of Chief Conductor and Artistic Advisor of the Netherlands Philharmonic and the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra from 2003 until his passing in 2011. With those ensembles he recorded for Pentatone. His Dvorak cycle, recordings of music by Franz Schmidt and Wagner, and concerto recordings with Julia Fischer received particular acclaim. His many performances at the Concertgebouw with this ensemble were prominent cultural events in Amsterdam.
From the beginning of his tenure, critics remarked on the first-rate quality of the orchestra’s playing under Kreizberg’s stewardship: "Kreizberg, not yet one year leading the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra, has achieved wonders in that short time. One can hear this especially in the strings, where an amazing melodious and fluid sound was produced, but also in the strong blending that the orchestra displayed as a whole. […] Relying on the level of this performance we are promised a triumphant journey ahead” (Volksrant).
extensive symphonic & operatic repertoire
Over years of appearances with many orchestras, Kreizberg was notable for performing a significantly varied repertoire. He was closely associated with the music of Dmitri Shostakovich, whose Eleventh Symphony he was particularly well known for: "Kreizberg galvanised his players into a performance which made one wonder how such a work can receive so few performances” (The Guardian). His debut with the New York Philharmonic was also the NYPhil premiere of Shostakovich’s 11th. He was also closely tied to Franz Schmidt’s Fourth Symphony, which “he master[ed]” (Die Press) and premiered in Vienna, the UK and various American cities. His performances of composers from Mahler to Tchaikovsky to Johann Strauss II and beyond garnered equal acclaim. He gave particular attention to works that had been banned by the Nazis, including the work of Berthold Goldschmidt.
In addition to the music of Peteris Vasks, Kreizberg championed works by other contemporary composers including Judith Bingham, Jonathan Harvey, Hans Werner Henze and Siegfried Matthus, and lesser-known works by Kurt Weill, Karol Szymanowski and Igor Markevitch.
In opera houses, he was also known for his “particularly vast repertoire […] [i]n addition to the Komische Oper Berlin, he conducted the Lyric Opera of Chicago and the English National Opera; on several occasions, he was invited to the Glyndebourne and Bregenz festivals. In 2006, he made his debut at the Royal Opera House by directing Macbeth […] [and] he directed Tchaikovsky's Yolanta at the Netherlands Opera where he was invited again in 2007-2008 for a new production of Janacek's Katya Kabanova.” (Qobuz)
Monte Carlo Philharmonic and His ‘Musical Family’
From 2009 until his passing in 2011, Kreizberg was Music Director and Artistic Director of l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Though he became ill shortly after assuming the position, he managed to lead numerous performances in Monaco and to tour Europe with the ensemble while recording six albums, five for OPMC Classics, a label he launched with them. Kreizberg felt a profound connection with this ensemble and referred to them as his “musical family.” The connection was mutual and is evident in the albums they recorded together. While in Monaco also performed two complete Stravinsky ballets, Rite of Spring and Petrushka, with the Monte Carlo Ballet and choreographer Jean Christophe Mallard.
A Life Dedicated to Music
Yakov Kreizberg passed away on 15 March 2011 in Monaco, at age 51, after a long illness. His remains were transferred to the Zentralfriedhof in Vienna, where he was buried with honors. His gravestone is inscribed Musik ist mein Leben ('Music is my life'). Some of the composers to whom he dedicated his life’s work, including Franz Schmidt, are buried in the same cemetery.
A number of orchestras with which he was associated dedicated concerts in Kreizberg’s memory following his passing. In Monaco, the Royal family named the concert hall within the Auditorium Ranier III the Salle Yakov Kreizberg (‘Yakov Kreizberg Hall’), making him the first non-Royal to be so honored in the history of the Principality. l’Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo has continued to observe the anniversaries of his passing away, with special concerts around the five- and ten- year anniversaries of his death.
Personal Life and Family Memories
Yakov met his future wife Amy when they studied conducting at the University of Michigan Music School. It was love at first sight, and they later married at the Regency Hotel in New York City. They honeymooned in Germany at the Bayreuth Festspiel where they saw the complete Ring Cycle by Wagner. Some of their happiest times were the summer festivals in Weikersheim where they were able to conduct operas on opposite nights, watching each other's conducting of La Traviata, Carmen, and La Boheme in the summers of 2001, 2003 and 2005. On holidays, Yakov enjoyed swimming and boogie boarding with his two boys David and Daniel, and taking long walks along the beach with his wife. He had many friends to whom he was very faithful, especially ones he met when he first arrived in New York City. Yakov loved Woody Allen movies, Haagen Dazs coffee ice cream, telling jokes and spending time with dear friends and family.
Yakov was survived by his family, including his wife and their two sons, filmmaker Daniel Kreizberg and their firstborn son David. In 2015 David passed away, reuniting with his late father.
