DEUTSCHE KAMMERPHILHARMONIE BREMEN

SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 2
BRAHMS: Violin Concerto
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 1
with Veronika Eberle, violin

“When Paavo Järvi conducts the Viennese Classics, the symphonies develop an energy that even their composers would probably not have dared to dream of 200 years ago. He has already demonstrated this with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in his Beethoven project, but also in many rarely performed Haydn symphonies – most recently on Wednesday in the Elbphilharmonie with the first two symphonies of Franz Schubert … The violin concerto in D major op. 77 by Brahms sounded no less great … With the slim line-up of the Kammerphilharmonie, the symphonic work, which otherwise seemed so pithy and massive, lost all of its gravity, and Eberle was able to brilliantly reveal all the nuances of her complex violin part.”
Hamburger Abendblatt, Helmut Peters, 12 April 2024

“Paavo Järvi’s music-making at the highest level, in its immediacy, its inner consistency, combined with the orchestra’s outstanding preparation and excellent knowledge of the score, brought to life a precision of interpretation that has threatened to be lost in recent years, almost acquiring a slightly pejorative flavour. The same applies to the interpretation of the Second Symphony … Järvi is reaping the rewards of his intensive work with the Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, which has now lasted 20 years. Everything Järvi undertakes, whether the complete symphonies of Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms or now Haydn, is honoured with prestigious awards worldwide … ”
Klassik.com, Michael Pitz-Grewenig, 13 April 2024

LONDON PHILHARMONIC

STRAVINSKY: Violin Concerto
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 7
with Leila Josefowicz, violin

“Järvi’s Bruckner scarcely has an equal today (listen to his superlative recordings with the Zürich Tonhalle orchestra) and this Seventh might, in the composer’s bicentenary year, have begun to melt the most stubborn sceptic’s heart .. Järvi makes Bruckner sound simultaneously modern and ancient; earthbound but airborne too.”
The Arts Desk, Boyd Tonkin, 8 April 2024

“The coda of the final movement was particularly thrilling … Rapturous applause all round at the end, especially for the Wagner tuba players – and for Paavo Järvi. Hopefully Järvi will return to the London concert stage soon – perhaps with Bruckner’s Eighth?”
seenandheard international.com, John Rhodes, 8 April 2024

HONG KONG PHILHARMONIC

RIMSKY-KORSAKOV: Capriccio Espagnol
STRAVINSKY: Violin Concerto
SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 5
with Alena Baeva, violin

“Anything that remotely hinted at capriciousness came with biting sarcasm after the interval, as Järvi and the orchestra gave a chilling account of Dimitri Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 5. Not long into the opening Moderato, it was clear that this musical journey wouldn’t be a walk in the park … The piece finished with brilliant brass fanfares. But did they mark true victory or mocking bravado? Given Järvi’s shattering rendition, the latter is more likely.”

South China Morning Post, Christopher Halls, 1 April 2024

PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA

DEBUSSY: Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un faune
CONNESSON: Concerto Da Requiem (Concerto for Organ and Orchestra) U.S. premiere
PROKOFIEV: Symphony no. 5
with Christian Schmitt, organ

“… the Estonian conductor pulled out the stops with a performance (of Prokofiev’s Fifth Symphony) that gained depth and eloquence as it unfurled and raced boldly to a breathtaking conclusion.”

Concertonet.com, Linda Holt, 23 March 2024

“Järvi brought a baton dipped in acid to the Prokofiev, leading an account that dripped with sarcasm, resentment and edge. In constant motion on the podium, he produced a sound that felt refreshingly unfamiliar to longtime followers of this orchestra: an almost unbearable brightness in the violins that contrasted the despairing depths of the low strings and brass; an added sense of weight in the woodwind playing; a jolting barrage of percussion, from explosive timpani to unsettling snare. The roiling piano interjections in the Allegro marcato felt almost demonic here.”

Bachtrack.com, Cameron Kelsall, 22 March 2024

CHICAGO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

BEETHOVEN: “Leonore” Overture No. 3
ELGAR: Cello concerto
NIELSEN: Symphony no. 5
with Sheku Kanneh-Mason
, cello

“Järvi led the the CSO in a blazing performance (Beethoven Leonore Overture No. 3) of the sort that, were it placed at the end of a concert, would pull an audience from its seats in a rapturous ovation. As it was, this feverish Beethoven set the tone for precision interplay between conductor and orchestra.”
Chicago on the aisle, Lawrence B. Johnson, 27 February 2024

“… from the first notes the orchestra sounded refreshed, energized and vital under the precise and inspiring baton of Paavo Järvi … For a piece as familiar as this, Järvi led a notably fresh, taut and crackling account that had a bristling immediacy and sense of theatrical greasepaint … Paavo Järvi is especially inspired in music of Northern and Eastern Europe and he directed a masterful, acutely concentrated account of Nielsen’s challenging score (Symphony No. 5) … The musicians clearly enjoyed playing this music under Järvi and there were smiles aplenty from the string first desks in the whirling craziness of the final section.”
Chicago Classical Review, Lawrence A. Johnson, 16 February 2024