“The Brahms Code”, a documentary film about The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Paavo Järvi’s latest project dedicated to the music of Johannes Brahms, has been presented with the Silver Award by the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards in the documentary / music category. The jury, comprising experts from around the world chose ›The Brahms Code‹ out of submissions from over 50 countries. The TV documentary released in Autumn 2019 is a co-production between Deutsche Welle and Unitel.

Director, Christian Berger, accompanied The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and Paavo Järvi for their third project together, creating an insightful portrait of the musicians’ intension collaboration and interspersing interviews with musical highlights, to illustrate the work of this musical “dream team” (NDR Kultur). Previous projects include ›The Beethoven Project‹ (2010) and ›Schumann at Pier2‹ (2012)

Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s goal has been to make Brahms’ symphonies appear alive and relevant to today’s audience. Complete Brahms cycles have been performed in Tokyo, Vienna, St. Petersburg, at the Rheingau Music Festival and at the Festival de Lanaudière (Canada). Another cycle was presented in Spring 2018 at the Théatre des Champs Elysées in Paris. Meanwhile, the symphonies have all been released on CD and “The Brahms Code”, was released on DVD in Autumn 2019. A highlight of the entire project was the special performance of Brahms’ Requiem in Bremen Cathedral in 2018, now also available on DVD (C major).

Available on DVD and/or BluRay from:
prestomusic.com
jpc.de
amazon.com
hmv.co.jp

Join Paavo Järvi for a Facebook Live Q&A on Saturday 25 April at 3pm EDT (9pm CET). Hosted by virtual arts education platform, Culturenet, this is the third in the start of a new series of Q&As with Paavo Järvi which will also feature on his YouTube channel.

Since his professional debut in 1985 when he conducted Sibelius’ First Symphony, Paavo Järvi has continuously performed and promoted the Finnish composer’s works throughout the world. In 2003 he won a Grammy Award for his recording of Sibelius Cantatas and in 2019 Sony Classical released the complete symphony cycle which Järvi recorded with the Orchestre de Paris during his tenure as Music Director. For his role in promoting Sibelius’ music to a wider public, the Sibelius Academy awarded Paavo Järvi the prestigious Sibelius Medal in 2015.

“For an Estonian conductor, performing and recording the Sibelius symphony cycle is a very important project for many reasons” commented Paavo Järvi. “ Firstly because we “Northerners” still have a mission of making Sibelius more familiar to music lovers and orchestras around the world; secondly, as an Estonian there is a certain sense of “ownership” and “belonging” to this music. Finland and Estonia have always been very close to one another – not just geographically but also culturally – Sibelius means just as much to Estonians as he means to Finns; and most importantly, because I absolutely love these symphonies.“

Watch Paavo Järvi’s performances of Sibelius symphonies with the Orchestre de Paris (Nos. 1 & 2), Estonian Festival Orchestra (No. 2) and Berlin Philharmonic (No. 5) on YouTube and join him for the live Q&A this Saturday.

Paavo Järvi is inviting young conductors around the world to join him for a Facebook Live Q&A – this time with a focus mostly on Brahms – on Saturday 11 April at 3pm EDT (9pm CET). Hosted by virtual arts education platform, Culturenet, this is the second in the start of a new series of Q&As with Paavo Järvi which will also feature on his YouTube channel.

Introducing this weekend’s Q&A Paavo Järvi commented: “I would like to take the opportunity of the current lockdown to give personal guidance to young conductors on any burning questions they might have about performing Brahms in particular. I’ve chosen Brahms as a starting point for this weekend’s Q&A for two reasons …”

“Firstly, this Easter weekend there will be a 48 hour screening of our performance of The Brahms Requiem on the The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s website. This was a special concert, filmed on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the Requiem’s world premiere, conducted by Brahms himself in the Bremen Cathedral on Good Friday in 1868. Despite the fact that Brahms called his work a Requiem, he never meant it as primarily a mass for the dead. Instead it is intended as a comfort for those who mourn, a mass for the living to help them back on the path to new hope. It is a work full of spiritual optimism that feels particularly relevant for the times that we live in.”

“Secondly Brahms reminds me of an experience I had as a student in LA which I think is also relevant to all conductors no matter age or experience. Sitting in the car on the way to a dinner party with my brother, we were listening to Brahms Symphony no.3, not knowing who was conducting. It was one of the most unusual, exaggerated, self-indulgent and emotional interpretations I had ever heard, yet totally captivating and impossible to switch off. We arrived at the restaurant very late and sat for another 20 minutes in the car, parked in front. We had to find out who it was, who had dared to take so many liberties and had re-imagined this Brahms symphony from what we used to know. At the end the announcer said that it was Bernstein with the Vienna Philharmonic. The reason why it was so important, was because it gave me courage as a young musician to dare to follow my intuition and not be “intimidated” by legendary interpretations from the past. In that way this recording remains very important for me. Now with a little time on my hands, I want to listen to it again and see if time has changed my perception.”

On Good Friday, April 10, 1868, Johannes Brahms conducted the world premiere of A German Requiem in Bremen Cathedral. Exactly 150 years later, in April 2018, Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen returned to the Cathedral to give a special anniversary performance of the work together with the Latvian State Choir and soloists Valentina Farcas and Matthias Goerne. The performance, which was broadcast on German State TV, has just been released on DVD for the first time by C Major.

This year Good Friday falls once again on April 10 so to honour the day The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is offering a free streaming of its performance with Paavo Järvi for 48 hours on the orchestra’s website. Starting at 10am CET, the concert will be available until Sunday morning, offering viewers a moment of reflection and hope over the Easter weekend. > www.kammerphilharmonie.com

The anniversary concert was also recently released on disc (DVD or Blu-Ray formats) by C Major.

“Despite the fact that Brahms called his work a Requiem, he never meant it as primarily a mass for the dead. Instead it is intended as a comfort for those who mourn, a mass for the living to help them back on the path to new hope. This is a work full of spiritual optimism that feels particularly relevant for the times that we live in. A time when many are mourning the loss of someone close to them and everyone is anxious about both the present and the future. Brahms’ music gives us an opportunity to reflect and replenish our spirits at precisely the moment when it is most needed.”
Paavo Järvi

> More about this release

CultureNet, a new virtual arts education platform based in LA, presents an exclusive discussion with Paavo Jarvi on Facebook Live this Sunday, April 5th at 3pm EDT (9pm CET). The live discussion is augmented by free screenings of the documentary Maestro film up until April 8th at noon PST (9pm CET.)

“Since it’s initial release several years ago, Maestro has aired all over the world and streamed on various digital platforms, but still, many people were not able to watch it. Now, CultureNet will offer the film via Facebook LIVE for a limited period. In the midst of endless concert cancellations, we hope a film that celebrates and preserves the path to musical mastery will bring joy and a dose of inspiration during these challenging times. Whether you are a fan of classical music already or simply curious about it, we hope you’ll tune into the CultureNet Facebook LIVE stream for this exclusive screening and live Q&A with Maestro Järvi.”

“Paavo has been conducting my music since the beginning of the 1990’s. He has recorded three portrait albums of my music, has been the initiator of many works and conducted a large number of world premieres.” ­
ERKKI-SVEN TÜÜR

Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s second album on Alpha Classics is dedicated to the music of Erkki-Sven Tüür and features recordings of three works recorded live in concert in Estonia between 2016 and 2019. The album is released this March to celebrate Tüür’s 60th birthday. ­
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­Tüür’s 9th Symphony – Mythos, which forms the centre piece of the album and is dedicated to Paavo Järvi, was recorded live at its 2018 world premiere performance in Tallinn celebrating 100 years of Estonian Independence. Both Incantation of Tempest (dedicated to Veljo Tormis) and Sow the Wind were recorded live in 2016 and 2019 respectively at the Pärnu Music Festival, home of the Estonian Festival Orchestra on the Baltic Sea. ­
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­”What should I say about the music?” asks Erkki-Sven Tüür. “I believe that music has to have everything – overwhelming power, illuminating light, endless gentleness and the deepest darkness. Fury, pain, remorse. Everything that makes us human. And the tender touch of redeeming love. I hope you can find all this on the new collection.”

Paavo Järvi and Erkki-Sven Tüür first met in the 1970’s in Tallinn, becoming firm friends with a shared passion for percussion. In 1979 Tüür founded the progressive rock band In Spe, and invited the then 17 year old Paavo to join the band. But Järvi’s budding rock career was thwarted when his family emigrated to the States in 1980 where he went on to study conducting at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute with Leonard Bernstein. Back in Estonia Tüür’s band became a national success in the Soviet Union, alongside which he studied composing with Jaan Rääts (at the Tallinn Conservatoire) and Lepo Sumera (privately) and then went on to pursue his interest in electronic music in Karlsruhe. By the late 1980’s Tüür had embarked wholeheartedly on his path as a composer and is today widely regarded as one of Estonia’s leading composers, alongside Arvo Pärt. It was not until after Estonian Independence that Paavo Järvi was able to return to his homeland and since that time, the two friends have collaborated on numerous projects both at home and abroad. ­
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­“The strong relationship which Erkki-Sven Tüür and I have had for over forty years now, has been one of the pivotal points in my musical life. I consider him to be one of the greatest living composers and am particularly happy that this anniversary release features the world premiere performance of his important 9th symphony. This album also draws together all the elements that are most important to me in my work with the Estonian Festival Orchestra – bringing new life, energy and visibility to Estonia.”
PAAVO JÄRVI ­

The Estonian Festival Orchestra, which was founded by Paavo Järvi in 2011 as the resident orchestra of the Pärnu Music Festival, regularly collaborates with Erkki-Sven Tüür and champions his music both at home and on tour. The long dreamed of ambition by Järvi to create a hand picked orchestra, bringing together the best of Estonian talent and leading musicians from around the world, has since led to international acclaim: “definitely one of the world’s great orchestras” (The Arts Desk, UK), “with a truly breathtaking energy and virtuosity” (Diapason, France) where “there are no egos, but truly passionate people in making and listening to the best music” (El Pais, Spain) and where “year after year you can see and hear the artists evolve, open up, listen to each other” (Die Welt, Germany). The Estonian Festival Orchestra will perform at this year’s Pärnu Music Festival on 19, 22 and 23 July. ­
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­The new album is released on Friday March 13 to coincide with Paavo Jävi’s performances with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich where Erkki-Sven Tüür is currently this year’s “Creative Chair” composer in focus. This Spring also sees the the UK premiere of Mythos, Symphony No. 9 in London with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Olari Elts (24 March), the US premiere of Tüür’s Missa Brevis at Carnegie Hall with Collegium Musicale (30 March), the world premiere of his Violin Concerto No. 3 Kõnelused Tundmatuga (Talks with the Unkown), which will be performed by Vadim Gluzman and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra (15 May) and a new work for strings to be premiered in Glasgow as a part of the Bridge Festival (16 May).

A suspected case of infection with the Corona Virus has unfortunatel been confirmed. To protect the audience and performers from a potential infection with the Corona Virus, the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich cancels all concerts at the Tonhalle Maag, the Johanneskirche am Limmatplatz and GZ Affoltern with immediate effect until and including April 5, 2020. The tickets can of course be returned and will be refunded in full. The box office is working diligently to process all requests and we ask for your understanding that the response time may be slower than usual.

We inform on an on-going basis of the current situation and any implications for future events of the Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich on our website.

Paavo Järvi is currently on his second European tour with the NHK Symphony Orchestra. They have already performed in Tallinn, London, Paris and Vienna and have further concerts in the coming days in Cologne, Dortmund, Amsterdam, Berlin and Brussels.

Of the London concert The Times wrote “From the first note of the Second Symphony (Rachmaninov) … this was an exceptional performance.” Classicalsource called the performance “A tour de force” and Backtrack.com “one of the finest accounts of the Second I’ve heard in concert.”

Audiences world wide can watch Medici TV‘s live broadcast of the concert in Dortmund on Saturday 29 February at 20.00 (local time) featuring works by Takemitsu, Schumann and Rachmaninov with soloist Sol Gabetta here.

Paavo Järvi and the Berliner Philharmoniker perform Stravinsky, Abrahamsen and Berlioz on January 31, 20:00 CET at the Philharmonie Berlin. The concert will be broadcast live on the Berliner Philharmoniker Digital Concert Hall (the live-stream starts at 19:45).

STRAVINSKY: Scherzo fantastique
ABRAHAMSEN: Horn Concerto (with Stefan Dohr)
BERLIOZ: Symphonie fantastique

… Paavo Järvi treibt am Pult des Orchesters Berlioz’ Symphonie fantastique in eine köstlich radikale Überzeichnung … Paavo Järvi unterstützte diese Überzeichnung noch in dieser Musik, die zwischen Traum und Drogen changiert. Dabei besteht die Herausforderung bei Berlioz oft darin, die langweiligen Teile nicht durchhängen zu lassen. Wie oft musste man im langsamen Satz mit seiner ländlichen Idylle schon gähnen. Hier nicht! Das war ganz exquisit zwischen Regentropfen und Donnergrollen, und das Fernduett mit Albrecht Mayer (Oboe, hinter der Bühne) und Dominik Wollenweber (Englischhorn, auf der Bühne), war ein einziger Genuss.
rbbKultur, Andreas Göbel, 30 January 2020

… Stefan Dohr (Solist in der Hornkonzert von Hans Abrahamsen) spielt mit einer Kraft und Sicherheit, die zugleich großes poetisches Empfinden zulassen. Paavo Järvi am Dirigentenpult ist ihm darin ganz ähnlich, mit Strawinskys klangkulinarischem „Scherzo fantastique“ und Hector Berlioz’ „Symponie fantastique“ rahmen zwei Stücke das Programm, bei denen Järvi weniger das Fantastische einer außermusikalischen Handlung interessiert als die Komplexität der Machart. Der Eindruck ist dadurch nicht weniger groß.”
Berliner Zeitung, Clemens Haustein, 30 January 2020

> Watch a trailer filmed at rehearsal
> See subscriptions plans for the Digital Concert Hall

The NHK Symphony Orchestra (based in Tokyo and headed by Chairman Yoshinori) is pleased to announce that it has extended the contractual period of Paavo Järvi’s tenure as Chief Conductor by one year to August 2022.

Since assuming the post in September 2015, Maestro Järvi has presented numerous outstanding performances with the NHK Symphony Orchestra incorporating a wide repertoire unique to him, ranging from Beethoven, Bruckner and R.Strauss to contemporary music.

As the NHK Symphony Orchestra will celebrate its 95th anniversary in October 2021, it hopes to further increase its concerts worldwide by embarking on overseas tours including the coming tour in Europe next spring.

We hope that performances of the NHK Symphony Orchestra under his baton will reach and delight broad audiences not only through our concerts but also by television and radio.