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. » Continue reading

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. » Continue reading

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. » Continue reading

The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich has announced the programme for its sixth season with Paavo Järvi as Music Director, opening this autumn with three concerts introducing this year’s creative chair, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and the “primeval sonic landscape” of her 2022 orchestral work Archora, partnered with Stravinsky’s 1919 Firebird Suite and Brahms’ Piano Concerto No. 1, with soloist and season Focus Artist Víkingur Ólafsson (18, 19 & 20 September). » Continue reading

In the lead up to this year’s Pärnu Music Festival, Alpha Classics releases Paavo Järvi’s latest album with the Estonian Festival Orchestra. Ship of Fools is dedicated to leading Estonian composer Jüri Reinvere, and three of his recent works, all of which were premiered in Pärnu by the Estonian Festival Orchestra and Järvi Chamber Academy. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi’s latest release of Mendelssohn with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich on Alpha Classics has been chosen as an Editor’s Choice in the latest issue of Gramophone, which describes the set as “marvellous … rich in tonal weight but wonderfully light in spirit too”. The BBC Music Magazine also gives the recording a 5 star review, saying “This new release of Mendelssohn’s complete symphonies confirms the symbiotic relationship Järvi has forged with the orchestra, and is jam-packed with exciting, at times electrifying, music-making … Many rival versions of this music exist, but it’s difficult to think of any which surpass Järvi’s for insight, immediacy and sheer enjoyment.” Listen to Paavo Järvi talk to Gramophone in the latest podcast here

10 – 19 JULY The Pärnu Music Festival has always been about family and, in addition to concerts and masterclasses led by Paavo, Kristjan and Neeme Järvi, this year’s edition welcomes two families of Estonian composers and musicians, as well an extended family of international guests who flock to Pärnu each summer to be part of the annual reunion. » Continue reading

The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s new Mendelssohn recording with Paavo Järvi is released this month on Alpha Classics. The 4 CD box set, which comprises all five symphonies and the “Sommernachtstraum”, offers a unique insight into the orchestra’s work with Järvi over a two year period, which began mid-pandemic in the Spring of 2021 at the interim venue Tonhalle Maag and was completed in January 2023, in the splendidly renovated historic Tonhalle Zürich. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich launched their Mahler cycle this month with three performances of Mahler Symphony No. 5. The project, which will be a major focus over the next five years, is being recorded by Alpha Classics with the first release appearing in Spring 2025. » Continue reading

The Jury of the International Classical Music Awards (ICMA) has announced the winners of the 2024 edition, honouring Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich with the ’BEST SYMPHONIC’ prize for their recording of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 on Alpha Classics. » Continue reading

This January Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra return to home base in Pärnu on the Baltic Coast to prepare for their third European tour which takes them to Tallinn, Dortmund, Stuttgart, Zürich, Vienna and Munich from 16 to 25 January. With different programmes featuring works by Pärt, Silvestrov, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky, the orchestra is also joined by soloists Sol Gabetta and Maximilian Hornung for performances of Dvořák’s cello concerto. » Continue reading

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen has been named Gramophone Orchestra of the Year at this year’s prestigious awards ceremony in London. In the only award to be voted by the public, the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen claimed by far the majority of votes, outstripping fellow nominees, including the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra and Orchestre de Paris. » Continue reading

PAAVO JÄRVI AND TONHALLE-ORCHESTER ZÜRICH LAUNCH THE NEW SEASON WITH BRUCKNER Following acclaimed performances at the BBC Proms and the summer festivals of Bonn, Prague and Bucharest, Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich are back home ready to launch their fifth season with performances of Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 this week. Coinciding with the start of the new season Alpha Classics has just released Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8 recorded live in concert at the Tonhalle earlier this year. “How to Tame a Symphonic Beast” was the headline of The Times review. “If Bruckner could ever be made to sound light and athletic, Jarvi’s your man … The finale is cumulatively magnificent, with life’s struggles gradually clearing, leaving a final ringing peroration in the brightest of key signatures: C major. “ » Continue reading

Stepping in at short notice to conduct the opening concerts of the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Paavo Järvi’s performances have been met with critical acclaim: “Abbado’s worthy successor” wrote the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. “From Mozart to Mahler, Paavo Järvi has set new standards in conducting here in Lucerne, an epicenter of orchestral art. Anyone who competes here with this orchestra in the future will have to be measured by that.” » Continue reading

On 11 and 12 August, Paavo Järvi will conduct the opening concerts of this year’s Lucerne Festival, stepping in for Riccardo Chailly who has had to withdraw due to illness. It is the first time that Paavo Järvi conducts the Lucerne Festival Orchestra and he opens the festival with a performance of Mahler Symphony No. 3, followed the next night with a programme featuring Mozart’s Piano Concerto K.271 (Jeunehomme) with Maria João Pires and Brahms Symphony No. 4. » Continue reading

Voting is now open for Gramophone’s Orchestra of the Year and amongst the 10 nominees is The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen which has been shortlisted alongside the Berlin Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra in Washington and others. Vote now for DKAM here!

WORKS BY TUBIN, LUTOSLAWSKI & BACEWICZ RECORDED LIVE AT THE PÄRNU MUSIC FESTIVAL For their latest recording on Alpha Classics (release date 23 June), Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra celebrate composers from Estonia and Poland. Two nations closely connected by their history and the corridor imposed on them by 20th century occupation, which resulted in strong musical ties. » Continue reading

Acclaim for Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilhamonie’s first recording of Haydn’s London Symphonies are flowing in. With five star reviews from both the London Times and Germany’s Rondo Magazine, the new recording project has been described as “finely tuned” (BBC Radio 3) and “brimming with life” (Gramophone). » Continue reading

Watch Episode 2 of Paavo Järvi’s new interview series with guest artists performing with the Tonhalle-Ortchester Zürich.

They made recording history with their decade long project dedicated to Beethoven, followed by in-depth focuses on the orchestral music of Brahms and Schumann. Now after a four year exploration of Haydn’s London Symphonies, Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen (DKAM) release their first Haydn album on RCA Red Seal, featuring Symphonies Nos 101 (“The Clock”) and 103 (“Drum Roll”). » Continue reading

How does Paavo Järvi get around in Zurich? In the tram, of course. In a new video series «Tram for Two» he takes guests of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich on a ride through the city. First up: Emmanuel Pahud

Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s album Estonian Premieres has been named Classical Album of the Year at the 2023 Estonian Music Awards. » Continue reading

This month Alpha Classics releases Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s first recording of Bruckner, captured live in concert in January 2022, during Järvi’s third season as Music Director. Symphony No. 7 is the first of three Bruckner releases, to be followed by Symphonies Nos. 8 and 9 in the run up to the composer’s bicentenary in 2024. » Continue reading

In Gramophone Magazine's traditional end of year round, Paavo Järvi and the the EFO’s recording of Estonian Premieres has been chosen by Editor in Chief, James Jolly, as one of his favourite albums of the year. “What all the works on this album share is a wonderful way of colouring with the orchestra” says James Jolly on the Gramophone podcast. “There are some absolutely gorgeous sounds … It also shows off Paavo’s orchestra. This is one of those orchestras that comes together once a year and there are players from the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and the Berliner Philharmoniker. It’s really a super orchestra and they play gloriously ..." Listen to the full Editor’s Choice podcast here

The Tonhalle-Gesellschaft Zürich AG has announced a five year contract extension with Music Director Paavo Järvi, who will now lead the Tonhalle Orchester-Zürich until July 2029 at home in the recently renovated, iconic Tonhalle and on tour internationally. “I am honored and excited to continue my work with the wonderful musicians of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich” said Paavo Järvi. “I am very committed to the orchestra and its future, and feel privileged to work with such a great team, both on stage and behind the scenes.” » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen reunite this week for performances and recordings of their latest project – the Haydn ‘London Symphonies’. Following performances in Bremen (25 November), Hamburg Elbphilharmonie (30 November) and Vienna Konzertahus (3 and 4 December), they head for Japan for two performances in Tokyo (8 and 9 December) and then on to South Korea for concerts in Seoul (11 and 15 December), Yongin (12 December) and Gyeonggi (13 December). Sony Red Seal releases Volume 1 in Japan to coincide with the tour and the first international CD release will follow in Spring 2023. » Continue reading

”You never quite know what you’ll get on record next from Paavo Järvi” writes Andrew Mellor in Gramophone Magazine, “though there was the slightest clue some John Adams might be on the way given the composer was in residence at the conductor’s Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra for the duration of the 2021‑22 season. That makes this recording a little more than a homage from a distance. Adams was personally involved in its preparation and had recently conducted the orchestra in some of the works included.” » Continue reading

On 24 September, the European Culture Prize took place for the first time in Switzerland with a gala evening hosted by the Tonhalle. Receiving the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s Prize as one of eleven international cultural ambassadors, Paavo Järvi said “A symphony orchestra is a good example of how we could model our society: 32 nationalities are represented here, highly talented, professional and full of respect. It has never been more important for me as an Estonian to be a European than in these times.” » Continue reading

“John Adams Rattles And Rolls Like New Music” wrote Norman Lebrecht in his preview of Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s latest album, to be released by Alpha Classics on 2 September. » Continue reading

The Estonian Festival Orchestra is back on tour for the first time in three years, following the pandemic. The orchestra – hand-picked by Paavo Järvi and comprising the best talent from Estonia and across the globe – reunites for concerts in Tallinn (30 August) and Lahti (31 August) before travelling to Korea for performances in Seoul (3 September), Tongyeong (4 September) and Gyeonggi-do (5 September). » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s third CD on Alpha Classics is released today. Estonian Premieres presents six compositions by five internationally renowned Estonian composers and the voyage through their unique worlds sheds light on just how rich and multi-faceted Estonian music is. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich launch the new season at the recently restored Tonhalle Zürich on 14 September with Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony. “Bruckner is a kind of essence for a symphony orchestra and is extremely demanding” says Paavo Järvi. “It is important to have a good architecture that really demonstrates the quality of the orchestra and the quality of the individual registers. In my opinion, that is why it is the perfect way to experience this orchestra – but also the new concert hall”. » Continue reading

As a sign of our solidarity, we shall be giving a fundraising concert in aid of the suffering people of war-ravaged Ukraine at the Tonhalle Zürich under the baton of our Music Director Paavo Järvi on Wednesday 23 March. The originally planned programme will remain unchanged. All performers will waive their fees. We shall be donating the proceeds of our ticket sales to the Glückskette. By doing so, we hope to make a small contribution towards alleviating the plight of the people of Ukraine. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich have been awarded a prestigious Diapason D’Or de l’année in France for the first recording in their complete cycle of Tchaikovsky symphonies. “Finding a recording of such relevance, accuracy, pre-meditation and exemplary orchestral performance has become very rare” wrote Diapason, of the November 2020. » Continue reading

Recorded in June whilst quarantining in Tokyo, Paavo Järvi talks to Alec Baldwin for his podcast series “How’s the Thing”. Topics include how slowing down in the pandemic offered Paavo time to think, his early love of music, what it was like to come to the United States from Soviet-era Estonia as a 17-year-old, and what he took away from a decade of conducting the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi has been awarded an Order of Merit by the Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his “exceptional contribution to raising Estonia’s profile in the world”. » Continue reading

The jury of the prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Awards has announced Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony as the winner of this year’s Orchestral Award for their recording of the complete symphonies of Franz Schmidt. » Continue reading

Following a four-year restoration project, the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and its Music Director Paavo Järvi are to perform in the Tonhalle in Zurich once again from 15 September. The concert hall has always been considered one of the best worldwide – acoustic measurements show that the sound is now even better than before. » Continue reading

Almost a year to the day when Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich were scheduled to make their first tour together they have at last succeeded, with performances at the summer festivals of Schleswig Holstein, Graffenegg and Lucerne. » Continue reading

The Pärnu Music Festival is streaming all of this week’s concerts live for free and making them available for repeat play for 30 days. Don’t miss Paavo Järvi conducting the Estonian Festival Orchestra in three concerts on Wednesday (15 July), Thursday (16 July) and Sunday (18 July) with soloists Lars Vogt, Joshua Bell and Emmanuel Pahud. Enjoy on parnumusicfestival.tv/pmf

The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Paavo Järvi are looking forward to their first season at the refurbished Tonhalle Zürich and performing in the Grosse Tonhalle – its crowning glory. » Continue reading

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich is nominated for Gramophone’s 2021 Orchestra of the Year Award – the only Gramophone Award decided on by public vote. The nomination comes as a result of impressing the Gramophone Editor and reviewers with the launch of its Tchaikovsky Symphony cycle with Paavo Järvi. » Continue reading

Erkki-Sven Tüür, Paavi Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra have been nominated in numerous categories for Germany’s 2021 Opus Klasssik Awards. » Continue reading

Pleasant warmth, the scent of flowers in the air, the landscape in rich colors – and also conviviality, openness and joie de vivre. Especially in the current time, the longing for Italy is particularly great. Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich alleviate the wanderlust by giving us Mendelssohn’s “Italian” – and thus a good portion of “Italianità” – straight to your living room. » Continue reading

After its cancellation last year, the first edition of the newly created Conductors’ Academy under the direction of Paavo Järvi finally takes place in Zürich this week. » Continue reading

Good days! After months of cancellations, Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen have finally been able to perform again together and they celebrated the occasion with a programme full of joy which audiences can watch online from 2 – 4 May on Classic Cloud/The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen » Continue reading

Watch Paavo’s concert with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester live on 7 May at 20.00 for the International Musikfest Hamburg: TCHAIKOVSKY: Serenade for Strings NIELSEN: Symphony No.2 ‘The Four Temperaments’

Listen to Paavo Järvi’s concert with the Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris live on 3 May at 20.00 CET on Radio France: BACH / WEBERN: Ricercar a 6 BRAHMS: Haydn Variations BRAHMS: Symphony No.2

Listen to EUNICAST’s latest “Meet Visionary Europeans” podcast – in which Paavo Järvi talks to Joe Lynam about how Estonia’s rich musical tradition shaped him. (Also availble on Spotify)

Watch Paavo Järvi and the Concertgebouw Orchestra live in concert from Amsterdam next Friday. On the programme is Mozart Piano Concerto No.24 with soloist Víkingur Ólafsson and Schumann Symphony No.3 “Rhenish”. The concert will be available to watch on the Concertgebouw Orchestra’s website, Facebook and Youtube channel on Friday 16 April at 20.00 CET

Watch Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s performance of Mendelssohn Symphony No.3 recorded on 19 March at Tonhalle Maag. Mendelssohn is the featured composer of Paavo Järvi’s second season in Zürich and will be the follow up recording project to their currently Tchaikovsky cycle. » Continue reading

On 9 April, Alpha Classics releases the second CD in Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s complete Tchaikovsky cycle. Symphonies Nos 2 & 4 were performed and recorded at Tonhalle Maag at the start of Järvi’s first season as Chief Conductor, before corona virus brought the music to a grounding halt. » Continue reading

The planned livestream of Mendelssohn's A Midsummer Night's Dream this Friday, March 26, 2021 has sadly had to be cancelled. A person close to the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich has tested positive for Covid-19. There are no further positive cases among the musicians, Paavo Järvi and the management team. However, due to quarantine measures, the orchestra cannot continue this week's rehearsals and recordings.

After weeks of hiatus, Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich are back together for visual and audio recordings of the Mendelssohn cycle planned for this season. The culmination of this creative phase will be Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which will be broadcast live on 26th March in the IDAGIO Global Concert Hall. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi joins forces with the Berlin Philharmonic this week for a concert which will be streamed live on the orchestra’s Digital Concert Hall platform on Saturday 6 March at 19.00 CET. Featured on the programme are Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5 with soloist Igor Levit and Prokofiev’s Symphony No.6. Buy your ticket here

Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony’s recording of Franz Schmidt’s Complete Symphonies has been nominated in the Orchestral category of the 2021 BBC Music Magazine Awards. Voting is now open until 18 March and the winners will be announced in April. Visit the BBC Music Magazine website to place your vote. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s first recording in their Tchaikovsky cycle has won top place in the latest Quarterly Critics Choice for Orchestral Music, awarded by the jury of the German Record Critics’ Award (Preis der Deutsche Schallplatten Kritik). » Continue reading

The Tonhalle Orchester Zurich is back on stage. Earlier this week, the musicians were reunited with Paavo Järvi for the first time since October » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich’s new recording of Tchaikovsky has been awarded with the Diapason D’Or Arte in this January’s issue. Christophe Huss writes (excerpt): "a powerful emotional experience where everything is experienced, embodied: a whirlwind that carries you away, inexorable and thrilling … Finding a recording of such relevance, accuracy, premeditation and exemplary orchestral performance has become very rare.”

An extract from an article written by Paavo Järvi for this month’s Veja Magazine » Continue reading

Saturday 5 December at 19.00 CET Paavo Järvi & Münchner Philharmoniker SIBELIUS: Karelia-Suite BEETHOVEN: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' Available to watch on the Munich Philharmonic’s website

Congratulations to Erkki-Sven Tüür, Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra for winning this year’s Contemporary Music “Diapason d’or” » Continue reading

UPDATED: Paavo Järvi conducts two streamed concerts this month with the London Symphony Orchestra and NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester. » Continue reading

Reviewing the first Tchaikovsky album Gramophone writes “it certainly hits the emotional spot and marks an auspicious start to Järvi’s Tchaikovsky cycle.” » Continue reading

The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich announced this evening that all further concerts will be cancelled until further notice, due to new government regulations that limit audience numbers to 50, commencing 29 October. » Continue reading

Honouring the Beethoven anniversary, the complete cycle of symphonies and overtures with Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie is being released as a box set on SACD. » Continue reading

This week Paavo Järvi is joining Germany’s National Youth Orchestra for a performance of Beethoven Symphony No.7 in Bonn which will be live-streamed on 17th October at 18.00 CET on the orchestra’s Facebook, YouTube and website. » Continue reading

Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra’s recording of the complete symphonies of Franz Schmidt, recently released by Deutsche Grammophon, has been named Gramophone Magazine’s Recording of the Month in this month’s Awards Issue. » Continue reading

In July 2019 the German production company “Sounding Images” travelled to Estonia and followed the Järvi family in rehearsal and concert, both on and off stage for a “fly on the wall” documentary. The resulting 45 minute film will now be broadcast this autumn on both Arte (20 September at 17.35 CET) and WDR (4 October at 08.50 CET) » Continue reading

Deutsche Grammophon announces an exciting cooperation this month with Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra to rediscover the music of Franz Schmidt – a composer of the late romantic and early modern period, who in the last years has been celebrating a comeback with audiences. » Continue reading

The BBC has announced that Paavo Järvi will conduct the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Prom at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 September, replacing Esa-Pekka Salonen who is unable to travel to London. » Continue reading

For the third consecutive year, the Gramophone Classical Music Awards will be naming an Orchestra of the Year. The only award decided on by public vote, Orchestra of the Year celebrates collaborative music-making at the highest level. » Continue reading

How has Corona virus affected Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle Orchester-Zürich’s plans for their second season together and what can audiences look forward to? Watch the interview with Paavo about Tchaikovsky, Mendelssohn, Pärt and much more.

The sun is shining and the musicians are gearing up for this year’s Pärnu Music Festival. But for those who are unable to travel to Estonia this summer, the good news is that all main 8 events will be available to watch online. The new streaming platform parnumusicfestival.tv gives access to live concerts and a replay for a further 30 days. Ticket price per concert is 7 euros.

Paavo Järvi’s second season as Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich was unveiled this week, with the announcement that Arvo Pärt will be making his contribution to the opening concert on 23 September as the orchestra’s next Creative Chair, with a new version of La Sindone.

Last month Paavo Järvi returned to Zürich for his first concerts with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich since the outbreak of corona virus in March. With a reduced orchestra and audience...

With the good news that the Pärnu Music Festival will go ahead with its 10th anniversary celebrations follows the even better news that 20 international members of the Estonian Festival Orchestra will be able to travel to Pärnu next month to be reunited with their Estonian colleagues for 8 days of sunny music-making on the Baltic coast and a focus on both young and established Estonian talent.

The NHK Symphony Orchestra has been nominated for Orchestra of the Year Award by the prestigious Gramophone Magazine. It is the only award decided on by public vote so now is the time to cast your vote for Paavo Järvi and the elite Tokyo ensemble.

Paavo Järvi returns to Switzerland this month to conduct the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in four programmes spread over twelve short concerts on the stage of the Tonhalle Maag.

This year’s Pärnu Music Festival will be going ahead as planned from 16 - 23 July with a re-imagined programme, a focus on both young and established Estonian talent, a celebration of Estonian composer Lepo Sumera and the world premiere of a new work by Tõnu Kõrvits.

Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s Beethoven cycle (Symphonies Nos. 3-9) can now be experienced in its entirety as filmed concerts. ›Klassik Cloud‹ presents a different Beethoven symphony every two days up until 8 June, all of which can be viewed for free on the orchestra’s website.

Join Paavo Järvi live on the virtual arts education platform, CultureNet for a discussion in re-evaluating the music of Joseph Haydn: Saturday 23 May at 3pm EDT (8pm London time / 9pm Berlin time). All Q&As can also be viewed on Paavo Järvi’s YouTube Channel.

On May 4th Paavo Järvi continues what has now become weekly online masterclasses during lockdown and is this time joined by Robert Green - the bestselling author of books like the 4"8 Laws of Power", “ Mastery", and "The Laws of Human Nature".

"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.

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.

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.

On Good Friday, April 10, 1868, Johannes Brahms conducted the world premiere of A German Requiem in Bremen Cathedral. Exactly 150 years later 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 Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen will offer free streaming of its performance for 48 hours on the orchestra’s website, starting at 10am CET on Good Friday, 10th April 2020. The performance has also been released on a DVD / Blu-Ray.

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.)

Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra celebrate thePaavo 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.60th Birthday of a close friend and colleague

Due to a suspected case of infection with the Coronavirus 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.

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.

Paavo Järvi and the Berliner Philharmoniker perform Stravinsky, Abrahamsen and Berlioz. The last of three concerts at the Philharmonie Berlin will be broadcast live on January 31 at 20:00 CET (the live stream starts at 19:45).

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.

This November Paavo Järvi reunites with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra for performances both at home in Amsterdam and on tour in Asia. Two sold out performances in the legendary Concertgebouw concert hall with soloist Lang Lang.

The New York Times attests that the violinist Janine Jansen has “a kind of radiant modesty”, and indeed: even in moments of utmost virtuosity, her performances captivate with introspection and substance.

The Brahms interpretations of Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen have been receiving the highest public and critical acclaim. “A Brahms revelation“ was the headline in The New Yorker, for DIE ZEIT it’s „a reference recording“ and the Hamburger Abendblatt wrote “the greatest experts on Brahms come from Bremen“.

Next Wednesday, the Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi will be officially taking office as Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich  (TOZ). In his suitcase, he will be bringing sounds from the far North and an ambitious objective: “I intend to position the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich among the world’s best orchestras.

Paavo Järvi’s initial appearances with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich were enthusiastically received and bear witness to a promising, successful partnership. The first recorded testimony of this is a CD featuring both early and late orchestral works by Olivier Messiaen, that is released by Alpha Classics to coincide with next week’s inaugural concerts.

Paavo Järvi has been named Conductor of the Year by Germany’s leading classical music awards, Opus Klassik, for his recording of the complete Sibelius Symphonies with the Orchestre de Paris. The award ceremony, which takes place at the Berlin Konzerthaus on Sunday 13 October, will be broadcast nationally on ZDF and promoted on the leading streaming service for classical music, Idagio. On announcing the award Opus Klassik stated ‘As the son of a famous conductor, Paavo Järvi has achieved world-wide success. He is one of the most sought-after orchestral conductors of our time. This autumn, he looks forward to his first season as Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, while continuing to direct the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, as well as The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen.’ Recorded live in concert over a period of four years, the Sibelius cycle was a central project during Paavo Järvi’s tenure as Music Director (2010-2016) of the Orchestre de Paris and the first full Sibelius cycle to be performed and recorded in France. For his role in promoting Sibelius’ music to a wider public, the Sibelius Academy awarded Paavo Järvi the prestigious Sibelius Medal in 2015 commenting: ‘Paavo Järvi has promoted the music of Sibelius with great talent in concerts which he has conducted throughout the world and particularly in France. With his passion and drive he is making history by recording the complete Sibelius symphony cycle with the Orchestre de Paris – a project so far never undertaken by any other French orchestra.’ Since his professional conducting debut in 1985 when he conducted Sibelius’ First Symphony, Paavo Järvi has continuously performed and promoted the composer’s works throughout the world. In 2003 he won a Grammy Award for his recording of Sibelius Cantatas and on 2 October he opens his tenure with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich in three performances of Kullervo. This autumn he also returns to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic, Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra and London Philharmonia – orchestras with which he holds special relationships.

Paavo Järvi returns to Berlin this week to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in 3 concerts (23, 24 and 25 May) with a programme of Bach, Berg and Bruckner. The sold-out concert on 25 May will be broadcast live on the Digital Concert Hall platform.  Meanwhile 5 previous performances that Paavo Järvi conducted with the Berlin Philharmonic are now available to watch on the Digital Concert Hall Archive. Paavo Järvi will be back with the Berlin Philharmonic again this October with a programme of Sibelius, Tchaikovsky and Schumann, featuring Janine Jansen as soloist.

The Estonian Festival Orchestra has just returned from Japan where they made their debut tour – their fourth tour in less than two years. With sell-out concerts in Hamamatsu, Fukui, Nagoya, Osaka, Hiroshima and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, the orchestra was joined on stage by soloist, Midori – who herself made the journey to Estonia last summer to perform with the orchestra at home in Pärnu. And on Midori’s request, the public were invited to hear a conversation with Paavo and members of the orchestra introducing the Japanese audience to Estonian culture before each concert. Japan’s leading classical music magazine, Ongaku no Tomo, featured Paavo on its front cover to celebrate the arrival of his orchestra in the country and the huge success of the tour resulted in immediate invitations to return in three years time. As always with the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the concerts were high on both energy and authenticity, performing repertoire that is specific to this ensemble – the music of the North – including works by Sibelius, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky and Estonia’s very own Arvo Pärt and Erik-Sven Tüür.

Paavo Järvi’s first season with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich will be devoted to his Nordic roots. Estonia, Russia, Finland, Latvia and Sweden are the countries which will be the principal musical destinations of the 2019/20 season which opens on 2 October with Sibelius’ Kullervo, featuring guest artists Johanna Rusanen (Soprano) Ville Rusanen (Baritone) and the Estonian National Choir. The new occupant of the Creative Chair will be Estonian composer, Erkki-Sven Tüür, who this year celebrates his 60th birthday and the In Focus series will also feature the talents of Nordic artists, including appearances by Martin Fröst, Pekka Kuusisto and Ksenija Sidorova, both with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under Järvi’s baton and in chamber music ensembles. A major focus of the first season will be the complete symphonies of Tchaikovsky which Paavo and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich will perform and record live in concert. Having grown up under Soviet occupation in Tallinn, Russian music was a major part of the cultural landscape for Paavo in his youth. “Tchaikovsky was virtually a saint,” he commented. “There were several gurus who specified how he should be played.”

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Paavo Järvi are awarded the Rheingau Music Prize 2019. The award, initiated by the Rheingau Music Festival, will be presented on July 12 on the occasion of Paavo and the orchestra’s concert with Daniel Trifonov at this year’s festival. The prize of € 10,000 will be provided by the Hessian Ministry of Science and the Arts. On announcing the prize the Rheingau Music Festival commented: “The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is a unique phenomenon in the cultural landscape: it fills concert halls all over the world, inspires audiences with its stirring style of music-making, organizes itself democratically and finances itself predominantly on its own. The orchestra was founded in 1980 by music students, and today it is a figurehead: for classical music, for the city of Bremen – but also for entrepreneurial spirit and social commitment. Paavo Järvi and Die Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen have made interpretation history with their groundbreaking projects on the symphonies of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms. In 2016 the ensemble was awarded the title “Orchestra of the Year” by Deutschlandfunk Kultur.”

Paavo Järvi has stepped in at the last minute to replace Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla for three concerts with the New York Philharmonic on 3, 4 and 5 January. The programme features Dvořák’s Cello Concerto with soloist Gautier Capuçon, Sibelius’ Lemminkäinen and the Maidens of the Island, and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé Suite No.2

“Officially, Paavo Järvi’s tenure as Principal Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich will not commence in less than a year” wrote the Neue Zürcher Zeitung. “But Järvi is already guesting in Zurich in the season 2018/19 with four programs, giving a foretaste of what he hopes to achieve in the future. That’s why the Estonian conductor’s first appearance last wednesday was eagerly awaited, with the character of a de facto debut. The concert hall in Tonhalle Maag was almost sold out, and the Tonhalle Orchestra played with the first set of members. And Järvi – as anticipated – fulfilled the ambitious expectations more than enough, indeed at the end of the concert he was euphorically celebrated by the Zurich audience.” Praise for Paavo Järvi’s first concerts with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich this month were unanimous. Seen and Heard International commented “If this was the first day of his honeymoon with the orchestra, then married life will look rosy, if the cheering after the Mahler symphony was anything to go by … The performance – and the orchestra’s playing – was, in a word, sensational. At the end of the symphony, large sections of the audience (a full house) erupted; the orchestra seemed stunned. Järvi beamed. He could sense he too had made a wise choice … a Golden Age beckons.” Peter Hagmann wrote “The members of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich have not performed so close to the edge of their seats for a long time … And now it is there, the fresh breeze. She has a very fresh effect, and she goes through the orchestra from A to Z – all the way to the administration – Without shyness, Järvi grabs the bull by the horns. He aims at the legacy that David Zinman has left behind. And he shows how things can be different – with Gustav Mahler and Ludwig van Beethoven … A new path is emerging for the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. Exciting how it will go on.” And Bachtrack.com commented: “The famous Adagietto (of Mahler 5) wove the richest possible orchestral tapestry, and highlighted both a celestial harp and the slightly restrained pacing that fills the listener with the thrill of anticipation … the Estonian’s command of the huge configuration was superb, and his rapport with the group seemed as amenable as it was supportive. Expectations are always great on the occasion of a conductor’s new posting, as well they should be. The Zurich public and the Tonhalle’s audience look forward to the Järvi era.” Following his current performances with the Berlin Philharmonic, Paavo Järvi reunites with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich at the end of the month for a tour of Asia which includes concerts in Beijing, Shanghai, Taipei and Seoul.

Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s first recording in their complete Brahms Symphony cycle has won Germany’s Opus Klassik Award in the category “Symphonic Recording of the Year (music of the 19th century)”. The Opus Klassik Award is the new award for classical music in Germany (succeeding the former ECHO-Klassik) and the winning discs are selected by a jury of Germany recording industry experts. The ceremony takes place on Sunday 14 October at Konzerthaus Berlin and will be broadcast nationwide on ZDF TV at 22.15 (CET). Volume 2 of the Brahms cycle will be released on Sony’s RCA Red Seal label on 4 October. For more information and tickets to the ceremony, visit www.opusklassik.de

Watch it on BBC MUSIC’s Youtube channel: Arvo Pärt: Symphony No.3 Edvard Grieg: Piano Concert with Khatia Buniatishvili Jean Sibelius: Symphony No.5 Lepo Sumera: Spring Fly

Photo copyright: Chris Christodoulou/BBC On 13 August – immediately following this year’s Pärnu Music Festival where “unanticipated miracles happen every summer in the quiet paradise of Estonia’s seaside capital” (theartsdesk.com) and “a tranquil bathing place is making a world career” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) – Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra travelled to London to make history with the ensemble’s debut at the BBC Proms. The special performance celebrated both Estonia 100 and the first ever occasion that an Estonian orchestra performed at the world famous British festival. The Royal Albert Hall concert, which sold out within days of going on sale, was broadcast live on both BBC Radio 3 and filmed by BBC TV to air on 17 August (BBC Four). Two days later the Estonian Festival Orchestra made their Hamburg debut following another unprecedented invitation to perform at the Elbphilharmonie. “This all-Nordic programme, performed by the excellent Estonian Festival Orchestra under one of the most admired conductors of the day, Paavo Järvi, has long promised to be one of this season’s special Proms.” The Guardian “In his sure hands, and with the support of this strikingly impressive orchestra, this was a programme that both ravished the ear and exercised the mind”. The Arts Desk The Estonian Festival Orchestra opened its programme with a performance of Arvo Pärt’s eclectic Symphony No.3. “In a precise performance of a complex, mysterious piece, Järvi and his players captured the seething menace that repeatedly erupts alongside the threat of stasis” wrote The Evening Standard. “This was an excellent choice of home produce for the Proms debut of Paavo Järvi’s seven-year-old Estonian Festival Orchestra” commented The Times. “They gave it a committed performance … scrupulously sculpted, polished and placed. On the platform at the end, Pärt received a hero’s welcome with rapturous applause.” The concert was brought to a dramatic close with Sibelius’s stiring Symphony No.5, of which Bachtrack commented: “some performances of Sibelius’ mighty Fifth Symphony are hewn from granite or sculpted from marble. The Estonians’ account was carved from pine, crisp and fresh, surging with energy and athleticism … Invigorating stuff and the highlight of the evening”. The centre work of the evening was “an exciting performance of Grieg’s evergreen Piano Concerto” (bachtrack) with “the irrepressible Georgian pianist Khatia Buniatishvili” (The Times) in which “the beating heart of the performance arrived with the adagio, where she conjured up a radiant, sunset stillness perfectly offset by the Estonians’ gorgeous strings” (theartsdesk.com). After their appearance at the BBC Proms, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie was the next venue for Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra, where again Khatia Buniatishvili was the soloist for Grieg’s Piano Concerto. “Now the ensemble has found its firm place in the international concert landscape” wrote bachtrack.com. “Despite its young history, there is already a tradition of focusing on Estonian and Scandinavian compositions in the program, which was also the case in this concert.” The Hamburger Abendblatt especially highlighted the Sibelius performance for comment: “Quite different is the fifth symphony of Jean […]

Paavo Järvi has been invited to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic on 1st May for its prestigious European Concert which this year takes place in the newly reopened Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage site. The event, which has been celebrated annually since 1991, is an important one in the orchestra’s calendar and is broadcast live on both the Berlin Philharmonic’s digital platform and Germany’s ARD at 11.00 on 1 May. The performance will also be released on DVD and Blu-ray by Euroarts in September 2018. This year’s programme features Beethoven’s Leonora Overture No.3, Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder with soloist Eva-Maria Westbroek and Beethoven Symphony No.4. Following the 1st May concert, Paavo Järvi conducts the Berlin Philharmonic for a further two concerts back “home” in the Philharmonie on 5 and 6 May with a programme dedicated to Sibelius and Shostakovich with soloist Janine Jansen. Järvi has conducted the Berlin Philharmonie regularly since his debut in 2000 and led the widely appraised gala concert “50 years German-Israeli Relations”.

On 13 August – immediately following this year’s Pärnu Music Festival – Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra will travel to London for its Proms debut. Not only will this performance be an important debut for the Estonian Festival Orchestra but it also marks the first occasion that an Estonian Orchestra has ever performed at the Proms and will be broadcast on both BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV. The programme features Pärt’s Symphony No.3, Grieg’s Piano Concerto with soloist Khatia Buniatishvili and Sibelius’ Symphony No.5. Together they will perform the same programme at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie on 15 August racking up another important debut for the orchestra as its international profile grows at an extraordinary pace.

On 10 April Paavo Järvi and the The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen will bring the Hanseatic composer Johannes Brahms back “home” to Bremen, with a performance of the German Requiem at the “Bremer Dom”. The special performance takes place exactly 150 years to the day that Brahms himself conducted the world premiere of the Requiem in Bremen’s cathedral. Joining Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilhamonie Bremen for this special concert are soloists Matthias Goerne and Valentina Farcas, also the Latvian National Choir – Koris Latvija – which accompanied the orchestra on their most recent tour of Asia. The Hanseatic cities of Bremen and Riga have been twinned for 800 years. As Bremen’s resident ensemble since 1992, The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie has a long and close history with the city. Paavo Järvi joined as Artistic Director in 2004 and, in the intervening years, their landmark projects focusing on Beethoven and Schumann have met with international praise. This special performance of the Brahms Requiem, which will be filmed for later broadcast on Germany’s 3Sat TV, plays a central role in the orchestra’s current Brahms cycle. The Brahms cycle Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen embarked on the Brahms Project in 2015 since which time they have performed the complete symphony cycle in Germany, Tokyo, Vienna, St Petersburg and Canada. Their recent performance of the full cycle in Paris will be broadcast on Medici TV on 9 April on Medici TV. The first CD in the cycle, featuring Symphony No.2, the Tragic and Academic Festival Overtures on Sony / RCA, was released in the Autumn of 2017. The second release follows this Autumn featuring Symphony No. 1 and the Haydn Variations

2018 celebrates the 100th anniversary of Estonian Independence and to mark the occasion Paavo Järvi is taking the Estonian Festival Orchestra on its first major European tour in January with concerts in Tallinn, Brussels, Zurich, Cologne, Berlin, Vienna and Luxembourg,  together with soloist, Viktoria Mullova. The orchestra’s debut recording is released simultaneous to the tour on Alpha Classics featuring Shostakovich Symphony No.6 and Sinfonietta, both recorded at the Pärnu Music Festival in Estonia.

The January 2018 issue of Gramophone celebrates an exceptional conducting dynasty, the Järvi family – Paavo and Kristjan and their father Neeme, who recently celebrated his 80th birthday. Editor-in-Chief James Jolly met with them all to talk about the life of a maestro and the art of recording.

Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen are currently in Asia where they are performing the complete Beethoven cycle in both Beijing and Shanghai. The international success of their Beethoven cycle in concert and on CD has now been followed with the release of their first recording in the new Brahms cycle on the RCA Red Seal label. An equally resounding success across the globe: “A Brahms revelation” raved the New York Times of a guest performance of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie and cheered the “triumphant performance” of the second symphony. As in New York, Paavo Järvi and his orchestra have also celebrated successes in Vienna and Tokyo with their Brahms cycle, before they went to the studio to record the four symphonies. Symphony No.2 is now released on CD … Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen model a slim and clear Brahms sound which is already evident in the opening bars of the symphony, when the theme of the horns stands out above the foundation of the deep strings. The horn melody is the prelude to a work in which the sun often shines. Johannes Brahms, then 44 years old, wrote his second symphony in 1877 on vacation at Lake Wörth. The lovely landscape and the friendly climate have, so it seems at least, left their mark on the music. This is felt by Järvi and his orchestra, when they breathe deeply together and allow themselves time before they enjoy the bright sound of the violins. It flows as fresh and pure as a light summer breeze.”   NDR Radio “Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen toured the Brahms symphonies before they recorded Symphony No.2 in the spring of 2015 at Kurhaus Wiesbaden. They used this familiarity with every angle of the score for an interpretation that gives space to spontaneous ideas and it therefore has a very organic, breathing and lively effect … Järvi penetrates deep into the musical and emotional meanings of the score. He reveals a dense motivic network and a wealth of subtle changes of color and mood … creating a slender and moving Brahms sound.”   Deutschlandfunk Brahms’ Symphony No.2 is also “one of the eternal brutes that flies through our Philharmonic and Tonhalle. The second provides everything that we expect from Brahms: autumnal melancholy, the wretched sound of the horns, the slackness of the strings and trumpets, memorable melodies, grand climbs, and this specific element of the “evolving variation,” which Schönberg regards as essential to Brahms’ Sinfonik considered. Of course the market is saturated with many good recordings. You can stop with the great George Szell, the unbeatable Günter Wand, the discoverer John Eliot Gardiner. Karajan was always a very, very good Brahms interpreter. Bernstein pounced on Brahms and poured all his heart blood into it … Now comes Paavo Järvi and, with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, he tells the story of this piece as a chamber music composition, the layers of which, as it were, create a symphony … This Brahms is […]

Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s concert at the Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm tonight will be broadcast live on Swedish Radio and filmed as a live stream on the orchestra’s new facebook. Join Paavo and the EFO live in Stockholm for their last concert of their very first tour. Shostakovich: Symphony No.1 Tüür: Accordion Concerto ‘Prophecy’ with Ksenija Sidorova Sibelius: Symphony No.2 WATCH IT HERE: Facebook    

The Estonian Festival Orchestra, created by Paavo Järvi in 2011 for the Pärnu Music Festival, has just embarked on its maiden voyage, a Nordic tour including the closing concert of the Turku Music Festival, as well as concerts at the Tivoli Summer Classical Festival in Copenhagen and The Baltic Sea Festival in Stockholm. Read more at the orchestra’s new website efo.ee

“What is so enchantingly charming and magical about this time forgotten place? The concentration of the musicians who gather around Paavo Järvi is the one thing. And the absolute absence of any pretention” Die Welt “The world-famous Järvi conducting dynasty, hand-crafted musicians, a modern concert hall and the historical buildings are Pärnu’s ingredients for the musical event in the so-called “summer capital of Estonia” … Musicians from all over Europe came to Pärnu to become part of a summer festival of the generations. Many of them are Estonians who work abroad. Others have been infected by their enthusiasm. And the Estonian music scene is concentrated for two weeks in the small coastal town, where the Järvi family opens a window into an ideal music world” Deutschlandfunk kultur “Paavo Järvi calls, and everyone comes. The best musicians from Estonia, the Baltics and international orchestras such as Bremen, Paris, Frankfurt and Cincinnati. Now the Estonian Festival Orchestra was performing for the first time outside its musical home in Pärnu — The orchestra was in the magical Latvian seaside resort of Jürmala, located on the Riga Sea, about 12 km from the Latvian capital. Ursula Magnes reports on a touching, Baltic August evening. In January 2018 the EFO will be a guest at the Konzerthaus in Vienna. Radio Klassik Stephansdom Audiences at home can also discover the Estonian Festival Orchestra for themselves as tonight’s final Pärnu Festival concert with star soloist Lisa Batshiavili will be broadcast live on Estonian Radio and available to stream. From Saturday 19th August Paavo takes the orchestra on its maiden voyage across the Baltic Sea to perform at festivals in Finland (Turku), Denmark (Copenhagen) and Sweden (Stockholm).

Paavo Järvi has been announced as the new Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich for a five-year term from the 2019/20 season. On taking up the position Järvi commented “I am extremely honoured to be taking on the role of Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich – an orchestra that has a great history and an outstanding quality of playing. On the most recent occasion I had the privilege of working with the orchestra, I felt a very strong chemistry with both the musicians and the management and was overwhelmed by their commitment. I look forward to strengthening those musical and personal relationships: with the orchestra, the management and, not least, the audience in Zurich, embarking on a new chapter of our musical lives together.” Paavo Järvi directed the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich for the first time in 2009. During his second visit last December, when he conducted four concerts, a chord was struck with the orchestra and audiences alike. Peter Hagmann reported: “Järvi does not need to direct light upon himself; he radiates of his own accord. An analytical mind and a sense of tone, experience and spontaneity – that is his secret”. Prior to taking up the post in 2019/20 he will be present in Zurich to give performances with the Estonian Festival Orchestra at the Tonhalle Maag in January 2018 and will also spend three weeks during the 2018/19 season with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. For more information, please visit: Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich | Press release

Paavo Järvi makes his debut at Teatro della Scala this month, conducting Don Giovanni. The premiere is on 6 May and performances continue until 6 June. During his time at the theatre, Paavo also conducts ballet performances set to music from Ravel and Nikolaj Rimskij-Korsakov from 19 April to 13 May, and on 13, 16 and 18 May he leads the Filarmonica della Scala in Mahler’s Symphony No.7.

Ahead of Paavo Järvi and the NHK Symphony Orchestra’s first tour of Europe together, BBC Radio 3 has chosen their new recording of Strauss tone poems as Disc of the Week. Listeners around the world can tune in online to the programme live (Saturday 25 February at 11.45 GMT) or on the BBC iplayer for a week.

Applications are now open for the five day conducting course in Tallinn with Paavo Järvi and Arkady Leytush which takes place from 7 – 11 March For more information, click here

At the 54th RECORD ACADEMY AWARD in Tokyo today, Paavo Järvi was announced as the recipient of two prestigious prizes:  The Complete Nielsen Symphonies recorded with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony was voted “Gand Prix (Silver Prize): Best Symphony Recording” and his second CD release as Chief Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra featuring Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote, Till Eulenspiegel & Der Rosenkavalier Suite was voted “Best Orchestral Recording”. Both releases appear on the RCA Red Seal label of Sony Music. These two recordings were particularly special projects for Paavo Järvi.  The Nielsen Cycle was performed and recorded over several years in Frankfurt during his time as Principal Conductor (2006 – 2013). As Paavo commented, “Carl Nielsen’s symphonies are rarely performed and even more rarely recorded so it was an important opportunity to bring a new audience to this great music. That audiences not only throughout Europe but also in Japan have come to appreciate these less known works has been truly uplifting.” Of his recording project with the NHK Symphony Orchestra Paavo said “For our recording of Strauss to be chosen as the best recording in the orchestral category is particularly momentous as it is a recognition of our collaboration together as conductor and orchestra.  When I was thinking about this recording project, it brought to mind the NHK Symphony Orchestra’s great tradition, its famous sound, and the conductors who have had a deep influence on it.  It is well-known that this orchestra has a very German character because of the long performance tradition with some of the greatest German and Austrian conductors … Listening to our Strauss recording, I can say without any hesitation, that the result has even exceeded my expectations. I am so impressed with the tightly knit ensemble playing of the orchestra:  all the musicians are very detail oriented and the result is very polished and well-worked out.  What also made me personally very happy was, along with this high level of achievement and deep affinity for the music, the orchestra’s openness to suggestions and discussion. They were ready for and accepting of ideas that they might not have tried before, and we immediately became a good team.” The RECORD ACADEMY AWARD is organized by RECORD GEIJUTSU Magazine (literally, “The Art of Record” in Japanese), published by the ONGAKU-NO-TOMO Company (literally “Friends of Music” in Japanese) and is given annually to the best classical music discs in 15 different genres/categories by the vote of the selection committee comprising Japanese classical music critics and journalists. The Award was created in 1963 and is regarded as one of the most authoritative in the world of classical music.

Bachtrack.com interviews Paavo Järvi about his work with the NHK Symphony Orchestra and their upcoming European tour. “Where is home for Paavo Järvi? The life of an international conductor consists of airports and hotel-hopping and Järvi’s passport is more well-travelled than most. He has just opened his second season as Chief Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra helping to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Suntory Hall, so he spends more time in Tokyo than anywhere else. “In Japan, you never go anywhere for a day!” he chortles. He is also Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. This season sees extensive tours with both orchestras, so his suitcase will be put to good use, but he still considers his native Estonia his home base, returning each summer for the Pärnu Festival he founded in 2010 with his father, the distinguished conductor, Neeme Järvi. We met for lunch in Notting Hill during a brief London stopover.”

The NHK Symphony Orchestra has announced today (6 October) that they will extend its contract with Paavo Järvi as Chief Conductor for an additional 3 years, until August 2021. The NHKSO Chairman, Tamaki Imai commented “Since assuming the position of Chief Conductor in September 2015, Paavo Järvi has been actively presenting concerts with unique programs consisting of not only works by Beethoven, Bruckner and R. Strauss but also contemporary works, in which he is also well versed. In the special concert of Mahler Symphony No.8 Sinfonie der Tausend held this September to celebrate the Orchestra’s 90th anniversary, he captured the hearts of the audience with his refined conducting, combining both bolts of expression and attention to the most minute details, leaving a strong impression on the audience. He will be leading the Orchestra’s European concert tour which will take place in February / March, 2017. We believe that through the forthcoming European tour and a variety of other planned projects including CD recordings, he will further boost the NHK Symphony Orchestra’s reputation both at home and abroad. We hope the NHK Symphony Orchestra and Paavo Järvi will attract and delight more and more music lovers not only through live concerts but through television and radio as well.” Paavo Järvi commented: “I have enjoyed my first season with the NHK Symphony Orchestra immensely and am delighted to extend the contract knowing that I will have the opportunity to work with these fine musicians over an extended period of time. We have much to look forward to in the upcoming year including both our first European tour in Spring 2017 and our first CD release with a focus on the orchestra works of Richard Strauss. This season is especially important as the orchestra celebrates its 90th birthday and tonight we celebrate an additional birthday by having the honour to perform as a part of Suntory Hall’s 30th anniversary celebrations here in Tokyo.”

Following last week’s performance at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, the Huffington Post must have written what is every artist’s dream review: “At the close of Friday night’s Mostly Mozart concert in Geffen Hall, Paavo Järvi and the Festival Orchestra brought down the house with Beethoven’s Fourth Symphony—and how many times do you get to say that of anyone these days? You might think that everything that could be done with this piece had already been done a thousand times over, but you would be wrong. “Without reaching or pulling anything out of shape, Järvi took a piece that’s usually programmed as a familiar makeweight and clattered through in a quaintly calisthenic manner (“Well, it’s not the Fifth, you know.”), and played it as if it were bran-new, fresh as paint, and thrillingly important. Tempi were perfectly judged: a rocket-ride of a first movement, erupting out of a truly mysterious introduction; a real, singing Adagio, with heart-stopping rubato; a zingy scherzo-menuet, torquing down perfectly to a floaty, sly trio; and a lightning-quick, hilarious finale with a mock-breakdown just before the end that got a spontaneous Chris Matthews-style shout of laughter from somewhere audience-left. (If Järvi ever gets tired of the conducting game, he’s got a great career as a comedian ahead of him.) Counterpoint was brought to the fore and brilliantly played. The syncopations in the first and third movements—usually slammed so hard that they confuse the beat rather than pointing it—were perfectly controlled, played for wit and winkingly varied each time around. And you could hear where this piece sat in its time, combining Haydn’s punch and vigor with Mozart’s dash and sheen, while opening a door not only to many of Beethoven’s most important later developments, but to Schubert and Rossini as well. “And let’s not waste words about the performance: it was magnificent in virtually every way. Järvi is musical down to his toes, and watching him work is almost as much fun as hearing the result. The Festival Orchestra, which is on a roll this year, played beautifully, even for them. It is hard to believe that a group so cohesive, so attuned within itself, so united in its ensemble and so eloquent in its expression, only works together for—what?—six weeks out of the year. Järvi gave out solo and sectional bows all around, and the orchestra, which plainly adores him, insisted that he take one, too—and a good long one, at that. Richly deserved. Bravo, one and all.”

theartsdesk.com: Where would you go to hear the most electrifying and collegial orchestral playing in the world? It used to be Lucerne while Claudio Abbado was alive. Now that the Lucerne Festival Orchestra has become like any classy superband, the answer is Pärnu in the south of Estonia. It’s a modest town of nearly 40,000 inhabitants, but its numbers treble in the summer, with visitors flocking to the eight-mile, south-facing white sand beach and the wooden villas in beautiful parkland (David Oistrakh and Shostakovich travelled westwards to Pärnu for their summer holidays). It also boasts a 900-seater concert hall, its 2002 inauguration having much to do with the championship of Estonia’s musical royal family, the Järvis. … The jewel in the Pärnu festival crown is the heady mix of top western and Estonian players in what after five years has now become the Estonian Festival Orchestra. Is the Lucerne parallel far-fetched? Not when you consider the calibre of the instrumentalists … This is a string sound you’d go a long way to find … Yet the highlight and denouement was always going to be Shostakovich’s Sixth Symphony … I have never, anywhere, heard an orchestral unison that bore through the body like this one at the start. Climaxes raised the roof, but precisely; the maverick structure whereby two far from light scherzos follow one long slow movement struck home. Read David Nice’s full review at theartsdesk.com

WATCH: PAAVO JÄRVI – ESTONIA’S “LUCKY MAN”  &  MASTER CLASS AT THE JÄRVI ACADEMY “Being by the shores of the Baltic Sea is special in itself … Such delights are brought together each summer in Pärnu, Estonia’s cultural capital. Thanks to its music festival created in 2010 by its famous conductor Paavo Järvi together with his family; different generations united by the same passion. Pärnu has always been a crossroads for artists and musicians; a renowned seaside resort in the past, today back to its former glory, it boasts picturesque dachas and listed sights, such as the Ammende Villa, a Liberty building where “Musica” had the chance to meet Paavo Järvi.”

Reviewing the Pärnu Music Festival which ended with standing ovations on Sunday night,  the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes today “With the Pärnu Music Festival Paavo Järvi creates competiton for Europe and, from 2017, he will start to export a part of it. This is bound to cause a stir on the European festival scene.” The festival, which Paavo Järvi created six years ago in the idyllic old fashioned seaside resort of Pärnu on the Baltic Sea, is quickly drawing the attention of journalists overseas. The BBC Music Magazine wrote “Pärnu, Estonia’s summer capital, is tucked within a huge natural harbour on the Baltic country’s southern coast. Mysteriously unknown to British holiday-makers but a firm favourite with the Finns (and, once upon a time, violinist David Oistrakh and composer Dmitri Shostakovich), the city boasts pristine white beaches with a gloriously safe, swimmable patch of sea, a delightful mix of old and new architecture, lush wooded spaces, superb restaurants and more spas than you could shake a stick at. Oh, and a truly wonderful music festival that’s starting at last to make a name for itself outside Estonia.” For Paavo, the Pärnu Music Festival is not just another festival. Having emigrated with his family aged 18 to the States, it is the chance to return to his roots, to showcase the culture and beauty of his country and to nurture the next generation of musicians.  And it is here that he has created the Estonian Festival Orchestra, uniting the best of Estonian musicians with colleagues from around the world which, according to The Arts Desk “… begs comparison with the elasticity of Abbado’s concerts with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra, which is as good as it can get.” The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung adds “Järvi could go into open competition with Lucerne and Verbier”. The next Pärnu Music Festival will take place in August 2017 and will be followed by Paavo Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra’s first performances abroad at festivals around the Baltic coast. In 2018 – the year in which Estonia celebrates 100 years of independence – the Estonian Festival Orchestra will spread it’s wings yet further with performances across Europe. Photo: Kaupo Kikkas

As the 2015 / 16 concert season draws to an end so does Paavo Järvi’s highly successful tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris, a position he has held since 2010/11. His final concert in the Philharmonie will be on 18th June when he conducts Mahler Symphony no.3 featuring Michelle de Young as soloist. The orchestra has just returned from a Swiss tour, taking in Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne and Bern, and other highlights of the past season include a hugely successful European tour in November 2015 which received the following reviews: “It’s Paavo Järvi’s last season as chief conductor of the Orchestre de Paris and on Saturday they performed together at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Taking this performance as a yardstick, these five years together must have been a very fruitful collaboration: one rarely experiences such an immediate connection between orchestra and conductor, such an extraordinarily attentive presence on both sides so that with economical means an understanding of the most subtle shades is possible.”

Last week Paavo Järvi had the honour of conducting the Czech Philharmonic in the inaugral concert of the 71st International Prague Spring Festival and tonight he returns to the stage at the Royal Festival Hall to continue his ongoing Nielsen Symphony Cycle with the Philharmonia in London. Tonight’s programme, which features both the Nielsen Clarinet Concerto and Symphony No.3, follows the recent CD release of the complete Nielsen Symphony Cycle which Paavo recorded with the Frankfurt Radio Orchestra. Receiving international critical acclaim, RBB Radio (Germany) commented on the cycle: “With his Estonian musical family roots he has sucked the sound and thought world of the Baltic Seas as if, so to speak, it is his mother’s milk”, Pizzicato (Luxembourg) wrote “The refined and transparent orchestral playing make these vivid and colourful performances truly gripping” and Quobuz (France) concluded “Paavo Järvi captures all the malicious nature of the work of the Danes, and gives a performance which is both incredible and full of musical relevance, constantly exciting.”

Paavo Järvi’s recording of the Elgar and Walton cello concertos with Steven Isserlis and the Philharmonia has been chosen as Gramophone’s Recording of the Month by Gramophone Magazine. “… With his immaculate technical address and ravishingly songful, mellow tone, (Steven) Isserlis strikes precisely the right balance between classical strength and private introspection, his contribution as full of radiant spontaneity and tumbling fantasy as one could wish. “He is also blessed in having such a scrupulously attentive partner as Paavo Järvi, who procures playing of the very highest quality from the Philharmonia. Tempi throughout are uniformly well judged. The first movement ideally combines suppleness and purpose, leading into a quicksilver scherzo that eschews any suggestion of hectic flashiness. To the glorious slow movement Isserlis and Järvi bring an unexaggerated depth of feeling, tenderness of expression and simple flow … The finale, too, is splendid. “The Walton concerto likewise finds these sympathetic artists at the top of their game … Is this newcomer possibly the finest yet? I’m inclined to think so. After a sultry and intoxicatingly poised opening movement, the central scherzo fairly crackles with wit and ear-pricking detail … An unmissable release.”    Visit Hyperion for more information

“Järvi represents the role of a sovereign trustee for the art of Carl Nielsen in this symphonic cosmos” writes Der Opernfreund’s in its review of Paavo Järvi’s new Nielsen cycle with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra . Four years in the making and released at the close of the 150th anniversary of Nielsen’s birth, further reviews from Germany follow suit in their praise: “Paavo Järvi has just released a new recording with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra and it has almost become an “historical” high point. With his Estonian musical family roots he has sucked the sound and thought world of the Baltic Seas as if, so to speak, it is his mother’s milk. What especially distinguishes the recording: A quasi natural empathy with the erratic, sometimes almost childish naitivty, but always built on a masterful craft and understanding of Nielsen … Paavo Järvi and the Frankfurt Symphony Orchestra engage so enthusiastically and selectively in this universe, that you can sit back and trust their leadership. Udo Badelt, Kulturradio RBB, (Germany) “The merit with Paavo Järvi is to be able to sit back as a listener and appreciate the natural spectacle of instrumental sounds, going between restful and contrapuntal rigour … Järvi’s approach and understanding of these works, written between 1891 to 1916, clearly allows the linear structures to emerge, nothing must remain on the surface … We experience a culinary luxurious sound …” Dr. Ingobert Wahba, Der Neue Merkur (Germany)

Deutschlandradio Kultur has chosen the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen as “Orchestra of the year” citing it as “one of the world’s leading orchestras. Since 2004 its Artistic Director has been the Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi. Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen have had actively widely acclaimed successes with, among other things, their Beethoven project which has included worldwide tours, CD and DVD recordings. Currently, the orchestra is dedicated to the symphonic works of Johannes Brahms. For their cultural and musical outreach work the orchestra has already received several awards … In the following months Deutschlandradio Kultur will follow the orchestra, broadcasting concerts and introducing special artistic collaborations.” Read more on deutchlandradio.de

Paavo Järvi’s recording of the Prokofiev and Shostakovich cello concertos with Steven Isserlis and the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra has been nominated in the concerto category for the 2016 BBC Music Magazine Awards: “Out of over 1,200 recordings reviewed in the magazine during 2015, 21 have been deemed the very finest by our specially assembled jury of critics and magazine editorial staff … Now we need you to help us choose the ultimate winners, and you can do just that by heading to awards.classical-music.com, listening to the excerpts and voting for your favourites (voting closes on 19 February). Everyone who votes will be able to enter a prize draw to win one of two copies of each and every nominated recording. The winners will be announced at a ceremony on 5 April at Kings Place, and in the May issue of BBC Music Magazine.” Visit Hyperion for more information

“A bumper review this week” writes Prestoclassical.co.uk. “Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi’s complete Nielsen symphonies with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra, released to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Listening to these has been a mammoth task, but by no means an arduous one … I can’t think of a better navigator than Paavo Järvi to guide the ear through Nielsen’s changing symphonic languages”

Paavo Järvi is reunited with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen this week for the launch of their Brahms cycle. Following their sell out Berlin concert Der Tagesspiegel  rote “When Järvi appeared as a guest conductor with his Orchestre de Paris at the Philharmonie recently he maintained the efficient upper hand as leader. With the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen however there is no music director, simply fellow musicians, and the energy currents flow and intensify with each moment. Weariness is not something that this cohesive ensemble know about. They are driven only by their desire to raise our perception of Brahms. And this is what the Bremen musicians precisely achieved in this blazing evening.” This weekend Paavo and ensemble will be perform the complete Brahms cycle at Vienna’s Konzerthaus and ORF TV has already singled the event out as one of the city’s spotlights.

France’s leading music magazine – Diapason – has chosen Paavo Järvi as “Artist of the Year” at their annual awards ceremony which took place in Paris last night, just two months after the Estonian conductor was also named “Artist of the Year” by Gramophone Magazine in London. On learning of the award, he commented “To be honoured by one magazine as their chosen Artist of the Year is already great news – to be honoured by two magazines is hugely flattering, and to be honoured by two magazines of such high class international calibre makes me feel both humbled and honoured”. Paavo was unable to attend the Paris ceremony as he is currently in Germany conducting the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen at the start of a tour which sees the launch of their new Brahms Symphony Cycle in the Vienna Konzerthaus, with additional concerts in Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Paris, Baden Baden and throughout Korea. Visit francemusique.fr

In his ongoing series “Auktakt” on the Süddeutsche Zeitung website, Harald Eggebrecht pays tribute to Paavo Järvi as “one of the most interesting conductors of our time.” “Paavo Järvi weiß, wie man sich den Musikern elegant und leichtfüßig mitteilt. Er ist einer der interessantesten Dirigenten unserer Zeit.” See the video here

Paavo Järvi and the Orchestre de Paris are currently on tour with concerts this week in Essen, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt and Brussels. These concerts follow their performance this weekend in Vienna which the Wiener Zeitung summarised as “sensational” … “It’s Paavo Järvi’s last season as chief conductor of the Orchestre de Paris and on Saturday they performed together at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Taking this performance as a yardstick, these five years together must have been a very fruitful collaboration: one rarely experiences such an immediate connection between orchestra and conductor, such an extraordinarily attentive presence on both sides so that with economical means an understanding of the most subtle shades is possible.” Wiener Zeitung, 9 November 2015 Photo: © Kaupo Kikkas

As Japan prepares for Paavo Järvi’s inauguration as Chief Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, billboards across Tokyo herald his arrival and Record Geijutsu features him as “Artist of the Month” in their October cover issue. Paavo’s first concert in Tokyo is on October 3rd when he will lead the NHK Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “Resurrection.” His first recording with the orchestra of works by Richard Strauss has just been released by Sony Japan.

Tonight, at the Gramophone Magazine’s annual awards ceremony Editor-in-Chief, James Jolly, announced that Paavo Järvi has been voted by the public as Artist of the Year stating “One of the most sought-after conductors of today, and one of the most recorded, Paavo Järvi continues the family tradition. An interpreter of imagination who brings something fresh to everything he tackles, he is a musician well worth listening to.” Receiving the award in London, Paavo Järvi commented ”When I am in the recording studio all thought is of the “here” and “now” – the music and the musicians.  It’s easy to forget that the audience is as important a part of the whole experience because they will be the ones who decide whether your recording should stand the test of time … or not! So from now on I shall go into the studio reminding myself of the music, the musicians and audiences around the world who voted for me to receive this award. Its a humbling thought to be chosen as Gramophone’s Artist of the Year and I am hugely proud to be standing here today to receive this.” Last week Paavo Järvi was presented the Sibelius Medal by Finland’s Ambassador during the opening concert of the Orchestre de Paris’s season at the Philharmonie – his final season with them as Music Director – and the previous week it was announced that their recording of Dutilleux was voted best recording of contemporary orchestral music by Germany’s ECHO Klassik Prize. 

The governors of the Sibelius Society have elected to award the prestigious Sibelius Medal to the Estonian Paavo Järvi, Musical Director and Chief Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris. The Sibelius Medal will be presented to Paavo Järvi in Paris by the Finnish Ambassador to France, Mr. Risto Piipponen, at the opening concert of the new season of the Orchestre de Paris on September 9th, on which occasion the orchestra will perform Sibelius Symphony no. 5, conducted by Paavo Järvi. On dedicating the medal, the Sibelius Society commented “Paavo Järvi has promoted the music of Sibelius with great talent in concerts which he has conducted throughout the world and particularly in France. With his passion and drive he is making history by recording the complete Sibelius symphony cycle with the Orchestre de Paris – a project so far never undertaken by any other French orchestra. His existing discography includes important Sibelius recordings which have gained international critical acclaim, including the release of the Cantatas with the National Estonian Orchestra and Estonian choirs on Erato which received a Grammy Award.” This is the second time the Sibelius Medal is awarded to a conductor this year which celebrates the 150thanniversary of the composer’s birth. Sir Simon Rattle, chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, received the medal in May in Berlin.

Paavo Järvi and the Orchestre de Paris’ recording of works by Dutilleux has been voted “Best Contemporary Orchestral Recording (20th and 21st century) by Germany’s prestigious ECHO Klassik Awards in Germany. The programme features three works by the late Henri Dutilleux (1916 – 2013), widely considered the most important French composer of the second half of the 20th century: Sur le même accord “Nocturne for violin and orchestra”, with violinist Christian Tetzlaff, the Symphony No.1 and Métaboles. The Erato release, which coincided with the inauguration of the Philharmonie de Paris in January this year, has received worldwide critical acclaim and was also nominated by the German Record Critics’ Award as one of the best contemporary recordings of the year. Celebrating the start of his final season in Paris, Paavo Järvi will conduct a weekend of performances at the Philharmonie on September 19 and 20 featuring the works of Arvo Pärt. Long seen as a champion of the 80-year-old fellow Estonian, Erato are releasing a 3CD birthday box set of recordings featuring Paavo with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. In October Erato will go on to release a new album of Rachmaninoff’s symphonic works with the Orchestre de Paris. Featuring Symphony No.3, Caprice Bohémien, Danses Symphoniques, Le Rocher and Vocalise, this release coincides with Paavo’s final European tour with the orchestra in his role as Music Director: 6 November             Budapest National Concert Hall 7 November              Vienna Konzerthaus 9 November              Essen Philharmonie 10 November           Berlin Philharmonie 11 November           Munich Gasteig 13 November           Frankfurt Alte Oper 14 November           Brussels Palais des Beaux Arts

”Utopian music-making led by the Järvi family in Estonia’s magical summer town” “A guiding principle of the Pärnu Music Festival since its inception five years ago has been to raise the game of young Estonian musicians. In the congenial atmosphere of this old-fashioned summer retreat where the likes of David Oistrakh and Shostakovich came for the nearest thing to western tolerance and understanding in the Soviet Union, conservatoire students play in an “Academy”.” Read the full review online at www.theartsdesk.com Photo: © Kaupo Kikkas, www.kaupokikkas.com

Paavo Järvi has been nominated for the highly prestigious “Artist of the Year” by the jury of the 2015 Gramophone Awards. Who will win depends on the public’s vote which opened this week and closes on July 31. The winner will be announced at the London ceremony on September 17. To vote for Paavo click here Selected alongside 9 other outstanding musicians who have “enriched music-making the most over the past year” Gramophone wrote “Possibly the most recorded of today’s top-rank conductors, Järvi’s musical sympathies remain as wide and questing as ever. Recent discs reveal not just Järvi’s musical breadth but also the number of recording companies seeking his services.”

Following recent coverage of Paavo Järvi’s new release of Shostakovich cantatas, recorded live in Tallinn in 2011, several people have commented on the fact that the original texts are not included in the booklet. The original intention was to include all the texts but they were removed before going to print on the request of the Shostkakovich Estate as they were deemed to be too sensitive to history. As Paavo commented in interview with The Guardian and again on BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on 16 May: “I have grouped these three of Shostakovich’s cantatas together on one disk which has never been done before – two of them are very pro-Soviet and one is very critical of the Soviet system. Through these pieces, Shostakovich’s music tells the terrifying story of that time and I think that story is only truly effective if it is honest and not modified according to the fashions and political waves of the time. People should confront this uncomfortable part of history. “What I didn’t realise when I first began the project is that we would now be dealing with the same situation with Russia as we were after communism collapsed. Right now we are witnessing something that nobody expected which is the rise of a totalitarian regime again. So I think the biggest mistake is not to acknowledge and not to deal with the past. Changing Shostakovich’s texts does not change or erase what happened. If we ignore it, history will repeat itself again, as we are already seeing happen. “At that particular concert in Estonia (in 2011), the house was completely packed and everybody who sat in that audience probably had a father or grandfather or uncle or aunt, or somebody close who died in Stalin’s gulags. So when they heard the texts which glorified the communists, that must have been a nightmare. I completely understand that. I was afraid and a little uncomfortable looking at the audience and the orchestra for that matter because I identify exactly what they were feeling. But it was also very important and I stand by it.”

As the long awaited new recording of Shostakovich Cantatas is released this week on the Warner label, the Wall Street Journal interviews Paavo about his decision to perform and record works written by the composer under Soviet regime pressure. Coinciding with the CD’s release, Paavo is in Germany this week to conduct three concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic (14, 15 and 16 May) featuring works by Shostakovich and his contemporary, Prokofiev.

In an extensive interview with Paavo Järvi published this week, Gramophone Magazine writes “In the current political climate of unease about Russia’s expanisionist intentions, the decision by an Estonian-born (if now American) conductor to make an Erato recording of three Shostakovich patriotic cantatas might seem provocative, and the enterprise was not without its snags.” “Paavo Järvi pays homage to Stalin” read the headlines of Tallinn’s newspapers in April 2012 and, following this declaration, the conductor was issued with a bodyguard for the performances and recording. Shostakovich Cantatas is released by Erato on 11 May (15 May Germany, Switzerland and Austria). The programme features the cantata, The Execution of Stepan Razin, which is rife with unflattering comparisons between the violence and barbarism of 17th century Tsarist Russia and the communist regime of the 20th century. Featuring alongside the cantata are The Sun Shines on our Motherland (1952) and Song of the Forests (1949) both of which are obviously socialist realist compositions written under Soviet repression. As Gramophone goes on to report “His use of Estonian children’s and adult choirs together with the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra in works extolling the virtues of communism and Stalin did not meet with universal tolerance, especially as Järvi reports that Estonians are already storing up tinned food and other non-perishables against a possible Russian incursion. “I had to sign a paper saying that the choir wasn’t inciting a revolution.” He refers to the works’ musical topicality of Russia’s “returning to the regimentation” that Shostakovich himself endured.” “Shostakovich wrote the cantata in 1964, two years after I was born. Historically, that is just yesterday. The concept behind this CD was to show the starkly different realities of one great composer’s life: needing to compose music in his own homeland while being unable to create freely due to the censorship and terror of its totalitarian regime. How does an artist cope with being forced to live a double life? Where is the line between the moral and immoral, acceptable and unacceptable, patriotic or hypocritical? These fundamental issues are as relevant today as they were in Stalinist Russia.” Paavo Järvi Paavo Järvi was born in Estonia in 1962 and grew up in a musical household where his father, Neeme Järvi, had already carved out an international career. It was the era when Estonia was still a Soviet State and life as a musician was controlled both at home and abroad. As a young boy Paavo remembers his father returning from foreign trips with suitcases full of LPs – forbidden fruit from the West – which the family would listen to for hours at a time together. And he remembers a visit by Shostakovich in 1973 which is documented in the family photo album. “Arvo Pärt and I left for the West in 1980. I premiered his work Credo, which as the name implies is a profession of faith. This was in 1968. The authorities were in an uproar. They fired the symphony’s music director the next day. The country was […]

The May issue of Gramophone Magazine features a three page special interview with Paavo and his passion for recording. “At a time when some other conductors seem to be focusing their recording activity on single-composer projects or on big landmark ventures, Järvi is bucking the trend in the catholicity of his tastes and the way in which he views recording as an integral part of his daily musical life … One of the key factors behind his diversity of programming is that he is associated with so many different orchestras that have their own traditions, their own sounds, their own strengths.”

Following his success conducting Nielsen in London, Paavo Järvi opened his Munich Philharmonic guest conducting dates this week with the same composer’s overture to the opera “Maskarade”. Reviewing the performance the Süddeutsche Zeitung commented “Even today such an important and original composer as the Dane, Carl Nielsen, receives too little attention on the German concert scene. Some of his symphonies are played, but the comic opera “Maskarade” premiered in 1906 is never encountered here. She is something of a national opera in Denmark. Even the overture shows how much wit and surprise there is in Nielsen’s music. Paavo Järvi, not just the busy chief conductor in Bremen (Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie), Paris (Orchestre de Paris) and Tokyo (NHK Symphony Orchestra), but also a welcome guest with orchestras around the world, now offered this work with the Munich Philharmonic as a virtuoso piece for large orchestra.” Following Nielsen, Paavo’s programme took us to the heart of Russia with Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto, Stravinsky’s “Scherzo fantastique” and Shostakovich’s Symphony no. 1 leading the Süddeutsche Zeitung to to pay tribute to an “inventive, elegant and multicolored” programme in which “Paavo Järvi is so well versed – always curious and inspired.” Performing the Tchaikovsky with soloist Joshua Bell, SZ concluded “At the end there was tremendous applause. And rightly so. Both artists were completely at the height of their art.” Audiences in Munich can catch Paavo’s last concert tonight in Gasteig, after which he makes his way to Austria for performances with the Vienna Symphony Orchestra commencing on Sunday.

Paavo Järvi returned to London last week to conduct the Philharmonia in the second of four concerts dedicated to the symphonies of Carl Nielsen. The Guardian’s review headline read “Järvi Järvi tames Nielsen’s wild masterpiece. An awesomely executed performance of Nielsen’s fourth symphony sat alongside perfectly pitched Haydn and sparkling Beethoven.” Seen and Heard International wrote “Järvi and the Philharmonia captured the white heat of the opening movement presenting us with an uncontained maelstrom of sound. Järvi synthesised the composite elements into a seamless organic whole, bringing out the angularity of the writing and feelings of disquiet in the more reflective material. Nielsen’s sonic and harmonic shocks, rhythmic asymmetries and unusual textural collages were all brought thrillingly to life … This was great playing from Järvi and the Philharmonia – and it’s good to see these wonderful symphonies by Carl Nielsen receiving so much public exposure.” Classicalsource.com also gave the performance a full thumbs up commenting “ This was a concert to make one realise why one keeps coming back for more.”

The long awaited new Mozart and Vieuxtemps album with Hilary Hahn and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is released on 30 March.

The next instalment of the critically acclaimed series of Bruckner Symphonies with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra will be released in Japan on 7 February. Visit Sony Japan for further information

“We’re overrun with decent, historically informed Beethoven cycles, and one of the very best remains criminally undervalued in the UK.  I’m referring to RCA’s recent set with Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammperhilharmonie.  The individual SACDs can still be found, but they’re not yet available as a cut price box. No matter – they’re essential purchases, even on separate, full price discs. Järvi never disappoints, his performances are consistently dramatic, humane and sensationally played.  This disc of overtures, several recorded back in 2010, is predictable fine – a tasty postprandial mint to be enjoyed after digesting the meatier symphonies … Buy this, be impressed, then treat yourself to Järvi’s Beethoven symphonies.” Graham Rickson, Theartsdesk.com

Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie’s new recording with Hilary Hahn, featuring Mozart Violin Concerto No.5 and Vieuxtemps Concerto No.4 is scheduled for worldwide release on Deutsche Grammophon on 30 March. The album is already available to order on Amazon.com where it currently features as classical music’s second most popular pre-order, two months before release. Hilary Hahn unveiled the album on Facebook featuring the video filmed at recording sessions in Bremen. Watch the video here

Watch the complete Paris Philharmonie opening gala concert online at the ARTE WEBSITE. This Sunday (18 January) Arte will also broadcast two additional programmes: a documentary entitled “The Paris Philharmonie: a masterwork by Jean Nouvel” (16.50) followed by highlights of the opening gala concert (16.50).

Paavo Järvi and the Orchestre de Paris only had access to rehearse in the hall two days’ prior to the opening concert and Jean Nouvel controversially boycotted the event as building work both inside and out is far from complete. Yet despite all the debates, politics and on-going construction work, Paris’ new Philharmonie opened last night to huge success as the first reviews testify: “What matters most, though, is the concert hall. And from first impressions it seems acoustically marvelous … On Wednesday, in its orchestra-concert configuration, the acoustics were enveloping in the best sense. You never felt swamped with orchestral bigness and brashness; though reverberant, the sound had detail and clarity …” “… After intermission Mr. Jarvi conducted the premiere of a formidable 30-minute work: Thierry Escaich’s Concerto for Orchestra. The piece begins with primordial low rumblings that provoke the percussion to break into skittish fits. This episodic, vividly scored, gritty piece goes through lurching digressions, by turns combative, reflective and exploratory.” “The program concluded with Ravel’s “Daphnis et Chloé,” Suite No. 2, in which the chorus took part. Ravel’s glittering, sensual, voluptuous music is a good show-and-tell project for a new hall. Mr. Jarvi tamped down the cinematic opulence of the music, letting arcs crest and subside. During some passages heavy brass playing covered the chorus. Still, the sound overall was dark, palpable and balanced.” New York Times “But the €390m question is: what does the hall sound like? …  In short: pretty stunning. I can’t remember a new hall sounding this good or this characterful at its opening, despite the fine-tuning that will no doubt happen over the coming weeks. There is a combination of dazzling clarity and generous depth in the sound that makes the whole range of orchestral possibility feel like a vivid physical presence, from the ethereal delicacies of the all-French programme – the magical flute solo in the Second Suite from Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloé, or the intimate piano solo at the start of the slow movement of Ravel’s G major Concerto, played by Hélène Grimaud – to the huge tuttis, like the end of Daphnis, brilliantly realised by Järvi, or even the noisy note-spinning of the evening’s world premiere, Thierry Escaich’s Concerto for Orchestra. If the other 2,399 seats are as good as the one I was sitting in, I think that the Philharmonie could be one of the most dynamic and exciting places to hear orchestral music in the world – as well as the most fun simply to sit in, thanks to the combination of intimacy and imagination of the interior.” The Guardian “… this concert confirmed our first impressions. A warm acoustic, whose beautiful reverb does not harm the legibility of the music … Certain balances will of course be worked on … Meanwhile, what a joy to hear a powerful orchestral tutti resonate without lower saturation and with the comfortable feeling of space.”  Le Monde “Happiness was confirmed upon entering the hall. After the towering, angular outer edge […]

The long awaited new concert hall in Paris, designed by award winning French architect Jean Nouvel, opens on 14 January with three inaugural concerts performed by the Orchestre de Paris and conducted by Paavo Järvi. Following neither the ‘shoebox’ style (as at the Musikverein in Vienna), nor the ‘vineyard’ style (as at the Berlin Philharmonie), the Philharmonie de Paris invents a model all its own, with an adjustable concert hall based on the concept of envelopment. This original design required innovations in architecture, stage design and acoustical engineering. Though a high-capacity hall (2400 seats), the Philharmonie auditorium feels remarkably intimate. But this feeling can be mathematically explained: the distance between the conductor and the farthest spectator is only 32 metres (compared to 48 metres at the Salle Pleyel). ‘Evocative of immaterial, draped sheets of music and light, the hall suspends the listeners-spectators in space, on long balconies… This suspension creates the impression of being immersed in music and light’, explains the architect, Jean Nouvel. Visit the official website of the Philharmonie de Paris

This recording is the first in a series featuring the Orchestre de Paris and its Music Director Paavo Järvi. The programme offers three works by the late, lamented Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013), widely considered the most important French composer of the second half of the 20th century: Sur le même accord ‘Nocturne for violin and orchestra’, with violinist Christian Tetzlaff, the Symphony No.1 and Métaboles. The release coincides with the inauguration of the Philharmonie de Paris in January 2015, when Järvi and the Orchestra will perform the gala opening concerts.

Paavo Järvi recently conducted the Staatskapelle Berlin, receiving a glowing review from the Berliner Zeitung. He returns in May to conduct the Berlin Philharmonic in three concerts concerts featuring Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo and Finale in E Major, Prokofiev’s Concerto No. 2 in G minor and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1 in F minor. The soloist is Yuja Wang. “It really is a bit odd that Paavo Järvi’s name hasn’t been taken up at all in connection to Simon Rattle’s successor at the Philharmonic. The conductor has, until now, seldom appeared as a guest conductor with the orchestra and only as recently as two years ago was he re-invited to perform with them after a long gap. Perhaps Järvi comes across as too unpretentious, too musical; possibly because everything seems a little bit too easy to him. He sparks the public with reliable enthusiasm; and he has an extremely wide repertoire from almost all eras, which he serves with exceptionally good taste.” “This is what was experienced at Monday’s wonderful concert in the Philharmonie with the Staatskapelle. Järvi’s clarity and the orchestra’s silkily soft sound – these complemented the evening beautifully … Mozart’s G Major Piano Concerto (with Maria Joao Pires as soloist) feather-lightly performed, with such noble, almost tender restraint like one hardly ever hears from this powerful ensemble … Opening the concert was Olivier Messiaens’ early orchestral work “Le Tombeau resplendissant” which the composer wrote in memory of the early death of his mother. A work, with which the conductor Paavo Järvi could prepare the Staatskapelle for what followed: the gentleness of the mystically glowing passages which recurred in the piano concerto and the uncharacteristically rough opening of the Messiaen which lead to Schumann’s Spring Symphony after the interval. “In recent years Järvi has extensively worked on the Schumann Symphonies which he performed as a cycle with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie, of which he has been the director for 10 years: this familiarity with the score is felt in every note. Järvi conducts this first symphony resolutely as a work of joyous abandon. Hefty dialogues between the string groups, a lost dream in the slow movement, slapstick humour in the finale– with Paavo Järvi it all sounds so vibrant and colourful, that one looks back on September’s parlous Schumann – Brahms cycle and thinks: I would also really like to hear this with the Philharmonic.” http://www.berliner-philharmoniker.de/en/concerts/calendar/details/20432/ – highlight=PAAVO+JÄRVI

Paavo Järvi has been Artistic Director of The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2004 and, celebrating their 10th anniversary, they have just returned from a triumphant tour in Asia with concerts across Korea and Japan. Following their recent success performing and recording the complete cycle of symphonies by Beethoven and Schumann, this tour was dedicated to Brahms and concluded with four sold out performances at the Tokyo Opera City Hall featuring all four Brahms’ symphonies, as well as both piano concertos, the violin concerto, the violin and cello concerto and incidental music. Järvi and the ensemble will record their first Brahms’ disc for Sony in 2015 for release in 2016. The Korean Times wrote: “This performance marked the fifth by Järvi and the Bremen German Chamber Philharmonic in Korea but it was nonetheless staggering. Though many regard the music of German composer Johannes Brahms to be stately and imposing, Järvi’s interpretation was quicker, lighter and more lyrical”

On 29 November the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen was awarded the Würth Prize for Corporate Social Responsibility and the “outstanding regional and youth projects which it has intiatied.” The commitment of the orchestral members was recognized for their ” vibrant introductions to musical life with a future”.