| This winter and spring: Paavo Järvi guest conducts SFS and LA Phil; releases Mahler 5 with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich; & tours with Tonhalle, London Phil & Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen |
 Paavo Järvi (photo: Kaupo Kikkas)(December 2024) — On the heels of his November return to the New York Philharmonic, 2019 Opus Klassik Conductor of the Year Paavo Järvi leads performances in the U.S. in February with the San Francisco Symphony (Feb 6–9) and Los Angeles Philharmonic (Feb 13–16). With the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich – where he is in his sixth season as Music Director – Järvi follows up the recent release of Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony on the Alpha Classics label with Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, the first release in a complete cycle that will span the remaining four years of his Zürich tenure. An interview with Järvi discussing Mahler is available here. The conductor also tours China this winter with the London Philharmonic (Dec 30–Jan 5), and tours Europe with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, of which he has been Artistic Director for more than two decades (May 5–18). Järvi is also founder and Artistic Director of the Pärnu Music Festival and its resident ensemble, the Estonian Festival Orchestra; this coming summer the festival celebrates the 90th birthday of one of the conductor’s fellow Estonians: composer Arvo Pärt. U.S. dates This winter, Järvi leads the San Francisco Symphony and soloist Kirill Gerstein in Shostakovich’s Second Piano Concerto, complemented by Mahler’s Symphony No. 7, “Song of the Night” (Feb 6–9). Shortly thereafter, he conducts a program with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and pianist Seong-Jin Cho featuring Ravel’s jazz-inflected Piano Concerto in G, the Concerto for Strings by Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz, and Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, as arranged for orchestra by Schoenberg (Feb 13–16). Mahler 5 release and tour with Tonhalle Orchester Zürich With the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Järvi focused on Bruckner in 2023, with releases of the Seventh and Eighth Symphonies, and last month they released their account of the Ninth, all on Alpha Classics. Their recording of the Eighth received an International Classical Music Award, and in a five-star review of the Ninth in Classical Music, Michael Jameson praised the “spellbinding orchestral playing,” concluding: “Järvi’s Ninth seems to penetrate new realms of consciousness in a reading as intellectually searing and musically uncompromising as any I’ve heard.” For his sixth season as Music Director in Zurich, Järvi turns to another Viennese giant with Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, the first release of a complete Mahler cycle. Järvi comments:“A Mahler cycle is something that every conductor somehow wants to do, needs to do, and the trick is to find the right partner: an orchestra that has an affinity for and experience with this music. I have found the Tonhalle to be that perfect partner. The orchestra is incredibly well suited for it, and has a long tradition of performing Mahler with people like Haitink and Solti and Honeck. I also feel that I, myself, am at the age where I have so much experience with this music, and I have changed my mind so many times, trying various options, that now I know what I want and how to do it.” The exact release date for Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, plus details of other upcoming recordings, will be announced soon.European and Asian datesAs a guest conductor this winter, Järvi tours China with the London Philharmonic for performances in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing that feature Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 and overtures by Smetana and Weber. Cello concertos by Dvořák and Haydn, performed in repertory by cellist Julia Hagen, round out the programs (Dec 30–Jan 5). Later in the spring, he has guest conducting engagements with the Shanghai Symphony (March 30) and Hong Kong Philharmonic (April 4 & 5), before leading the NHK Symphony – of which he is Honorary Conductor Laureate – in five performances around the Tokyo region that feature pianist Benjamin Grosvenor in Britten’s Piano Concerto along with music of Berlioz, Prokofiev, and Stravinsky (April 12–20). European guest conducting engagements include the Staatskapelle Berlin (Feb 24 & 25), London Philharmonia (Feb 27), and Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra (April 30; May 1–3). In the spring, Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich are joined by pianist Víkingur Ólafsson for a two-day residency at Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie (March 15 & 16), featuring Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 2 and John Adams’s Piano Concerto, “After the Fall,” with further concerts on tour in Paris, Frankfurt, Cologne, and Essen (March 18–22). Järvi also leads the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen – recently named Orchestra of the Year both by Gramophone (2023) and Opus Klassik (2024) – on tour in Europe in the spring. On the program are two Schubert symphonies and Beethoven’s Violin Concerto, with Janine Jansen as soloist (May 5–18). These performances follow the release this past November on RCA/Sony Classical of Volume 2 of the Haydn London Symphonies, the fourth major composer tribute of Järvi’s tenure with the orchestra, after their internationally acclaimed recordings of the complete symphony cycles of Beethoven, Brahms, and Schumann. Pärnu Music Festival July 16–25 will mark the 15th anniversary season of Estonia’s Pärnu Music Festival, which Järvi founded in 2011 along with its resident ensemble, the Estonian Festival Orchestra. The festival will focus on the music of Järvi’s fellow Estonian, Arvo Pärt, who celebrates his 90th birthday next year. Central to the tribute will be Pärt’s monumental Credo for piano, chorus, and orchestra, which was premiered under the baton of Järvi’s father, Neeme, in 1968. |
| Paavo Järvi: winter/spring 2024–25 |
| Dec 30–Jan 5 China tour with London Philharmonic Julia Hagen, cello Repertoire selected from: SMETANA: Bartered Bride Overture DVOŘÁK: Cello Concerto in B minor ELGAR: Enigma Variations WEBER: Overture to Oberon HAYDN: Cello Concerto No.1 in C TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 4 Dec 30 & 31: Guangzhou (Guangzhou Opera House) Jan 1: Shenzhen (Shenzhen Concert Hall) Jan 2: Shanghai (Shanghai Grand Theatre) Jan 4 & 5: Beijing (National Centre for the Performing Arts) Jan 22–24 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Víkingur Ólafsson, piano John ADAMS: Piano Concerto, “After the Fall” (Swiss premiere) MAHLER: Symphony No. 1 in D, “Titan” Jan 30–Feb 2 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Anna Vinnitskaya, piano SHOSTAKOVICH: Symphony No. 10 in E minor, Op. 93 SCHUMANN: Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 54 Feb 6, 7, 9 San Francisco, CA San Francisco Symphony Kirill Gerstein, piano SHOSTAKOVICH: Concerto for Piano No. 2, Op. 102 MAHLER: Symphony No. 7 in E minor, “Song of the Night” Feb 13–16 Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles Philharmonic Seong-Jin Cho, piano BACEWICZ: Concerto for Strings RAVEL: Concerto for Piano in G BRAHMS (arr. SCHOENBERG): Piano Quartet No. 1 in G minor, Op. 25 (for orchestra) Feb 24 & 25 Berlin, Germany Staatskapelle Berlin María Dueñas, violin SIBELIUS: Tapiola, Op. 112 KORNGOLD: Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 35 NIELSEN: Symphony No. 6, (“Sinfonia Semplice”) Feb 24: Deutsche Staatsoper Berlin Feb 25: Philharmonie Berlin Feb 27 London, England Royal Festival Hall Philharmonia Orchestra Nicolas Altstaedt, cello STRAVINSKY: Petrushka (1947 version) Erkki-Sven TÜÜR: Concerto for Cello STRAVINSKY: Firebird Suite (1919 version) March 5–7 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Christian Tetzlaff, violin Tanja Tetzlaff, cello LIGETI: Concert Românesc BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin and Cello A minor, Op. 102 (Double Concerto) SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, “Rhenish,” Op. 97 March 12 & 13 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Víkingur Ólafsson, piano BRAHMS: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 LUTOSŁAWSKI: Concerto for Orchestra March 15–22 Germany and France tour with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Víkingur Ólafsson, piano Anna Vinnitskaya, piano (March 22 only) Repertoire to be selected from: BRAHMS: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83 SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 3 in E-flat, “Rhenish,” Op. 97 LIGETI: Concert Românesc John ADAMS: Piano Concerto, “After the Fall” LUTOSŁAWSKI: Concerto for Orchestra SCHUMANN: Concerto for Piano in A minor, Op. 54 March 15 & 16: Hamburg March 18: Paris March 19: Frankfurt March 20: Düsseldorf March 21: Cologne March 22: Essen (w/ soloist Anna Vinnitskaya) March 30 Shanghai, China Shanghai Concert Hall Shanghai Symphony STRAVINSKY: Petrushka (1947 version) PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 4, Op. 112 April 4 & 5 Hong Kong Philharmonic Bomsori Kim, violin Arvo PÄRT: Silhouette – Hommage à Gustave Eiffel PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 2 PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 4, Op. 112 April 4: Hong Kong, China (Hong Kong Cultural Centre) April 5: Guangzhou, China (Guangzhou Xinghai Concert Hall) April 12–20 Tokyo, Japan NHK Symphony Benjamin Grosvenor, piano BERLIOZ: Harold in Italy, Op. 16 PROKOFIEV: Symphony No. 4, Op. 112 STRAVINSKY: Petrushka (1947 version) BRITTEN: Concerto for Piano No. 1, Op. 13 PROKOFIEV: Love for Three Oranges Symphonic Suite (April 12 only) April 12 & 13: NHK Hall April 17 & 18: Suntory Hall April 20: Bunkamura Orchard Hall April 30; May 1, 2, 3 Amsterdam, Netherlands Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano MÄGI: Poem (Vesper) for Strings (1990) KHACHATURIAN: Concerto for Piano STRAVINSKY: Petrushka (1947 version) May 5–18 European tour with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen Janine Jansen, violin SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 7 in E, D729 BEETHOVEN: Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 61 SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 4 in C minor, “The Tragic,” D417 May 5 & 6: Bremen (Die Glocke) May 7: Cologne (Kölner Philharmonie) May 8: Luxembourg May 10: Bremen (Die Glocke) May 11: Hamburg (Elbphilharmonie) May 12: Budapest (Müpa/Béla Bartók National Concert Hall) May 13: Vienna (Musikverein) May 15: Rotterdam (De Doelen) May 16: Frankfurt (Alte Oper) May 18: Munich (Isarphilharmonie) May 28 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich VERDI: Overture from Nabucco Pēteris VASKS: Concerto for English Horn TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 3 in D, “Polish,” Op. 29 J. STRAUSS: Mein Lebenslauf ist Lieb’ und Lust, Op. 263 June 4–6 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich MOZART: Symphony No. 39 in E-flat, K. 543 MOZART: Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K. 550 MOZART: Symphony No. 41 in C, “Jupiter,” K. 551 June 12 Zurich, Switzerland Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano KHACHATURIAN: Concerto for Piano SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 1 in E minor, Op. 39 June 13 Open air concert (Munsterhofplatz) Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano BIZET: Carmen Suite KHACHATURIAN: Concerto for Piano KODÁLY: Dances of Galánta DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World,” Op. 95 June 14 Open air concert (Munsterhofplatz) Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano BIZET: Carmen Suite KHACHATURIAN: Concerto for Piano KODÁLY: Dances of Galánta DVOŘÁK: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, “From the New World,” Op. 95 July 16–25 Pärnu Music Festival |