Edgars Tons
1917–1967
Conductor, educator
Born on 17 January 1917 in Petrograd. From 1920, lived in Rīga and studied at Rīga’s Elementary School No 1 and High School No 1 (1930-1933). While at school, mastered a number of instruments, actively participating in the school orchestra and choir.
Supplemented his knowledge in the double-bass class at the Conservatory of Latvia (1934-1938) and the symphonic-orchestra conducting class (1945-1950). Worked as the conductor of the National Musical Comedy Theatre for two years (1946-1948), then at the Latvian SSR Opera and Ballet Theatre, initially as an assistant to conductor Leonīds Vīgners, later as theatre’s conductor (1949), but from 1954 until the end of his life – as the principal opera conductor. As a prize winner in the All-Union young conductors’ competition, he practiced at the Leningrad State Kirov Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre (1951-1952).
Directed the Dziedonis (Minstrel) male choir for two seasons (1953-1954). Interestingly, it is Tons who notices a young lad with a very good voice among the choir’s tenors and encourages him to take up musical studies. The young musician noticed by Tons is Kārlis Zariņš, later to become the pride of Latvian music. Some years later, the two meet at the Latvian State Conservatory – Tons is leading the Latvian State Conservatory’ opera and symphony-orchestra conducting classes (1952-1961), while Zariņš is studying singing.
A chief conductor at the XIIth and XIVth All-Latvian Song and Dance Festivals, however, his greatest love and true calling was the staging of opera, symphony orchestra and vocal-instrumental works, especially music of the 20th century. Thanks to Tons, the Latvian audience could not only hear and see the jewels in the crown of opera – Verdi and Puccini – but also get to know newly written or unjustly forgotten compositions by Sergey Prokofiev, Dmitry Shostakovich, Richard Wagner, Benjamin Britten, Jānis Mediņš. Britten’s opera Peter Graves was performed for the first time in the Soviet Union under his direction. Worked successfully with the Latvian SSR Radio and TV Symphony Orchestra (from 1963), even performing a concert at the Moscow Conservatory’s Great Hall. As a guest conductor, performed with great success with leading orchestras in the Soviet Union and Poland.
“Edgars Tons was a dynamic, markedly intellectual artist. Precise. Organised. Principled and demanding to the end, with no exceptions. With taste of a high degree. The logic of music, clarity of form and artistic truth were the main criteria of Edgar Tons’ art. … He was a true opera conductor with a pronouncedly calm stage manner. The conductor – a director who was able to point the way for the entire artistic team, in opera considering musical logic primary, rather than the plot.” (Grauzdiņa, Ilma, Izredzētie (The Chosen Few), 2008 p 125)
Latvian SSR Order of Honour for Performing Art Endeavours (1956), Latvian SSR People’s Artist (1962) and Latvian SSR State Award Winner (1956).
