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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Paavo Järvi, was honoured with the Senate Medal for Art and Science last weekend for his outstanding services to culture in the Hanseatic city of Bremen.

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This month Warner Classics releases a box set of 30 CDs comprising Paavo Järvi’s complete catalogue on Virgin Classics, EMI and Erato, recorded between 1996 and 2015, plus a bonus CD of the Franck Symphony in D minor he made last September with Orchestre de Paris, of which he was Music Director from 2010–16.

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It’s been a full year of celebrations marking the 20th anniversary of Paavo Järvi’s artistic directorship of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and international accolade for their first release of Haydn’s London Symphonies. It started appropriately in London with the prestigious 2023 Gramophone Award for “Orchestra of the Year” and came full circle in Berlin last weekend with Germany’s Opus Klassik Prize for 2024 “Orchestra of the Year”.

Now Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen are gearing up for more Haydn with the release of Volume 2 of the London Symphonies on RCA Red Seal in November (featuring nos. 94, 95, 98 and 99) and a behind the scenes TV documentary entitled The Haydn Expedition on Deutsche Welle in December.

Following their recordings on Alpha Classics of Bruckner’s Symphonies Nos.7 (Diapason d’Or) and 8 (awarded “best symphonic recording of the year” at the International Classical Music Awards), Paavo Jarvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich conclude their tribute to the Austrian composer in this bicentenary year with a recording of his 9th symphony.

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Germany’s Opus Klassik has announced the 2024 winners, naming The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen “Orchestra of the Year” for their recording of Haydn London Symphonies Nos 101 and 103 with Paavo Järvi.

The award ceremony takes place in Berlin in October exactly a year after DKAM was voted Gramophone Orchestra of the Year, coinciding with the 20th anniversary celebrations of Paavo Järvi’s Artistic Direction.

From 24 – 26 June Paavo Järvi will lead the seventh edition of the Ammodo Conducting Masterclass, sharing his knowledge and experience with four talented young conductors, who will each be given the opportunity to lead the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The selected candidates are Sebastián Almánzar (Colombia), Dayner Tafur-Diaz (Peru), Zofia Kiniorska (Poland), and Swann van Rechem (France). Each session will be streamed through concertgebouworkest.nl and the orchestra’s YouTube channel on the same day from 7 p.m.

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