Kristjan Järvi: A New Frequency on Music and Life
Text Susanna Poikela Photos Stanislav Moshkov, Kaupo Kikkas, family album
“Many people don’t want to be singled out. I, on the other hand, look forward to it. I accept all criticism because I believe in myself,” Kristjan says of his work as a conductor.
Conductor and composer Kristjan Järvi was seven years old when his family was forced to leave Estonia. It was 1980, and his father, conductor Neeme Järvi, felt he could no longer make music in Soviet Estonia. Neeme and his wife, Liilian Järvi, decided to move to the United States. The entire family—Kristjan and his older siblings, Paavo Järvi (now an acclaimed conductor) and Maarika Järvi (who became a professional flutist)—set out for the U.S.
That same January, Neeme Järvi’s close friend, composer Arvo Pärt, had already said farewell to the stifling atmosphere of Soviet Estonia. It took nearly three decades before these two great Estonian masters returned home.
“We moved from Tallinn to the countryside near New York, in New Jersey, where we lived for several years. When I was sixteen, my mother suggested we move to the city. At first I resisted because I liked rural life. But the pulse of New York soon pulled me in,” Kristjan recalls with a laugh.
Life as a teenager in a big city included plenty of parties alongside school. His parents were often traveling, so the youngest child of the family had more freedom than most.
Estonia gave life a new direction
“I was a typical New Yorker—materialistic, competitive, always ready to elbow my way forward,” Kristjan says. “Until the moment Estonia returned to my life. I had become completely detached from nature and from anything authentic. Everything changed when I met my wife.”
He now lives with his wife, violinist Hanna-Liis Nahkur, and their young daughter both in Tallinn and in Vääna-Jõesuu, half an hour from the capital.
“Today, even Tallinn feels a bit too large. In the countryside, by the sea, I feel most like myself. There, simplicity, lightness, and creativity go hand in hand.”
At the same time, Kristjan has undergone a deep personal transformation. He has lived alcohol-free for several years. About five years ago, he took part in ceremonies of “the wisdom of the land”, which helped him cleanse old energies and reconnect with himself and with nature.
“That experience opened my senses. I understood the strength and vitality of our own ancestral wisdom and the primal spirit of our people. I realised that Estonia is truly a wonderland,” Kristjan says warmly.
I don’t really have an orchestra—I have a band!
Kristjan Järvi has become known internationally for his distinctive conducting style, his music, and his boundary-breaking projects that combine classical and electronic music as well as improvisation.
“Conductors are like analogue DJs who play someone else’s music. Some do it subtly, some brilliantly. Then there are conductors like Leonard Bernstein or Martin Garrix who perform their own music. I belong more to that group. Then it’s no longer about conducting—it’s about live creation.”
In 2017, Kristjan began leading an orchestra in a new way. In concerts, works are performed from memory, standing, and moving. Lighting design was added, and the sound was shaped so the experience became electroacoustic rather than purely acoustic. The orchestra began playing sets as if it were a band—something never before seen in classical concert halls. This gave rise to Nordic Pulse, which is not really an orchestra but a living organism.
“We create everything together. This isn’t a project—it’s a movement,” Kristjan says.
A documentary about Nordic Pulse also exists: “Nordic Pulse—Dare To Be Different, The Story of Baltic Sea Philharmonic”.
Music resonates on its own frequency
According to Kristjan, the word Nordic refers to the broad northern region, and Pulse to the cultural heartbeat that connects all creative people. The “wisdom of the land”, or maatarkus, is a kind of global tribe.
“Every Nordic Pulse concert is like a gateway into another world—onto a frequency I call Nordic Amazonia. In that world live Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins, Coldplay, nublu, NOËP, Eicca Toppinen, and Nordic Pulse. Sibelius and Pärt belong to this tribe as well. This tribe has no flag or borders—what binds it is a shared frequency. With my work, I want to awaken that tribal feeling—not only for Estonia, but universally,” Kristjan explains.
There is something of both the explorer and the mystic in him. He seems more drawn toward the unknown than the ordinary.
“Most people don’t want to be singled out. I, on the other hand, look forward to it. I accept all criticism because I believe in myself. When a person believes in themselves, nothing can shake them. And if I get to shine, that nourishes others, too. This applies to everyone.”
A concert should be a pleasure, not an obligation
Kristjan recalls a saying attributed to Giacomo Puccini: “If you don’t fall in love with the piece in the first 13 seconds, then what are you even doing at the concert?” He laughs, and his laughter is contagious—warm and bright, both urban and primal. His presence resonates on its own frequency, sweeping you along before you realise it.
Kristjan Järvi recommends:
- The Pärnu Music Festival and Järvi Academy;
- Southern Estonia and its small towns, such as Elva, Võru, and Otepää;
- The Meelte Videvik experience festival;
- The Ukuaru Concert Hall in Rakvere, dedicated to Arvo Pärt.
Jon Hopkins and Nordic Pulse joint concert in December
Nordic Pulse performs with Jon Hopkins on 19 December at the Alexela Concert Hall in Tallinn. The concert takes the audience on a ritual musical journey based on Hopkins’s album “Ritual”. “We take the DNA of Hopkins’s album and reshape it. In the concert we improvise, stretch the pieces in time, and create something new while preserving the core of Hopkins’s work.”
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