DEUTSCHE KAMMERPHILHARMONIE BREMEN  – JANUARY 2017
With Brahms’s symphonic legacy the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen shows its strengths, with its small string ensemble and muscular strong sound. Whereas the silky-smooth strings sound of big symphony orchestras often lose out, here the intricate braid of voices can be heard without it being a mere structural inter-penetration. There is little trace of old-fashioned motifs, but a sharp rebellion can be heard with all the means of contrapuntal art, which makes the scherzo and finale a breathless experience …
Jürg Huber, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 27 January 2017

Järvi’s intrepretation (of Brahms’ Symphony No.1) is refined. Impressive is the transparent, clearly differentiated sound form, exhibiting the finest subtleties. Without hustle and bustle, Järvi flows dynamically forward leaving little room for pathos.
Annkathrin Babbe, Nordwest Zeitung, 21 January 2017

Probably no other orchestra has played the symphonies and concertos of Johannes Brahms as often in the past few years (as the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie) – with more than 60 performances of the cycle to audiences as far afield as St Petersburg, Vienna and Tokyo.  In Die Glocke, the second Bremen Brahms cycle distributed over multiple seasons began (on Thursday) with Symphony No. 1. Again, the musicians’ inherent understanding of the music is especially emphasized in the characteristics of the Symphony and its chromatic development, the interplay between the instruments, the aggressive boldness of the introduction and the “Alpine Horn Solo” played by flute and horn. … Järvi’s approach is transparent and economical … Again fascinating worlds lay between the sound-sensitive playing of solo voices (in particular, oboe, clarinet, violin) and the brilliantly pointed rhythmic energy in the finale.
Markus Wilke, Weser Kurier, 21 January 2017