From 8–18 July, the 2026 Pärnu Music Festival celebrates its 16th edition and 35 years of renewed Estonian independence, with a programme highlighting nature, international talent and the next generation. Under the artistic direction of Paavo Järvi – joined by his father Neeme and brother Kristjan – the festival welcomes over 300 musicians from around the world, reinforcing Pärnu’s reputation as Estonia’s summer capital and a creative incubator for the musical architects of tomorrow.

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The International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) have named Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s recording of Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 the best ‘Symphonic Music’ recording of 2025.

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With an acclaimed partnership spanning more than 2 decades, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen are now releasing the first instalment of their new Schubert cycle on RCA Red Seal / Sony Classical. Schubert’s Symphonies no. 7 and 4 are released this month to coincide with the latest tour, which takes them to Vienna and Köln, before returning home to Bremen for the next recordings in the cycle.

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Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s Mahler project continues this Autumn with the release of Symphony No.1 on Alpha Classics. The album release is followed by three performances of Symphony No.2 (which will also be recordeded live) at the Tonhalle Zürich (12 – 14 November), and a tour to Vienna, Baden Baden, Köln and Paris (28 November – 2 December) featuring performances of both Symphonies Nos 1 & 2.

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CREDO is the title of Paavo Järvi’s new recording with the Estonian Festival Orchestra, recorded live at this summer’s Pärnu Music Festival and featuring ten of Arvo Pärt’s iconic works, including the world premiere recording of Silouette, dedicated to and premiered by Paavo Järvi in 2010 and Credo, the work famously premiered by his father Neeme, in 1968. The album will be released on 5 September by Alpha Classics, just in time for Pärt’s 90th birthday on 11 September.

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The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich celebrates the start of its 7th season with Music Director Paavo Järvi this September, with a continued focus on the complete Mahler Symphony Cycle and a tribute to Swiss-French composer Arthur Honneger on the 70th anniversary of his death. Additional highlights include performances with season focus artists and “old friends”, cellist Sol Gabetta and pianist Kirill Gerstein, as well as a year long exploration of the music of Thomas Adés, this year’s Creative Chair.

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On 14 March Alpha Classics releases Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s new recording of Mahler Symphony No.5, marking the start of a project that has been years in the making. Long admired for his powerfully intimate interpretation of Mahler’s symphonies, Paavo Järvi waited for the right moment to record the complete cycle – both in his own musical journey as well as in his collaboration with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich.

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Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s recording Ship of Fools, has won Classical Album of the Year at the prestigious Estonian Music Awards (EMA) – Estonia’s equivalent to the Grammys. The recording – dedicated to new works by Jüri Reinevere, all premièred and recorded at the Pärnu Music Festival – was released on Alpha Classics in Spring 2024. More about this release here

Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony’s recording of “Pelléas et Melisande” on Alpha Classics has been nominated for this year’s prestigious BBC Music Magazine Awards. As per tradition, the short-list is selected by a jury of critics and the final vote is given to the public.

Join us in placing your vote for Paavo and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony online here. Voting closes at 23:59 GMT on Friday 28 February and the winners will be announced at the awards ceremony on Wednesday 23 April in London.

What the jury said: “No sooner had this recording of Schoenberg’s symphonic poem been released than it became the new benchmark. It was no surprise that it, along with the Fauré, was made ‘Orchestral Choice’”.

2025 Pärnu Music Festival
16 – 25 July 2025

The 2025 Pärnu Music Festival pays tribute to Arvo Pärt on his 90th birthday and celebrates the festival’s 15th edition in Estonia’s Summer Capital.

“I believe that Estonian culture is best represented through music which naturally expresses our national voice. Our country may be small, but Arvo Pärt’s iconic music is loved worldwide” says Paavo Järvi, “and whilst the world will be celebrating his landmark 90th birthday this year, it is doubly meaningful for us to celebrate here in Pärnu, as Arvo has been a close family friend for as long as I can remember.”

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