“When a conductor who is always in search of the ideal sound meets an orchestra that follows him with devotion at every stage and a virtuoso who transports us to other worlds with the truthfulness of his playing, extraordinary things can happen. This is what happened when Paavo Järvi and “his” Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich gave a guest performance with violist Antoine Tamestit at the Vienna Musikverein” (Kurier). The concert opens with Berlioz’s Harold en Italie, a dreamy, melancholy work in which Berlioz processed his wanderings in the Abruzzi. French violist Antoine Tamestit likes to experiment with new formats and seeks his way off the interpretive beaten track. Harold en Italie therefore seems tailor-made for him: as a symphony with solo viola, it was a highly innovative work in its time. The work is followed by Brahms’ Piano Quartet No. 1, in the version for orchestra by Arnold Schönberg. Brahms composed the piece in 1861 and it is known for its sweeping melodies and complex counterpoint.
Paavo Järvi conducts Mahler 3 – Tonhalle Zürich Reopening
After four years of restoration work, the Tonhalle Zürich, one of the most impressive concert halls in Europe, reopened its doors on September 15, 2021. The Tonhalle-Orchester returned to its historic home with a captivating performance of Mahler’s Third Symphony under the direction of its Music Director Paavo Järvi, one of the great Mahler interpreters of our time. Hardly any work is as suitable for pushing the freshly renovated hall to its limits as Gustav Mahler’s longest symphony with an overwhelming orchestral cast, the alto Wiebke Lehmkuhl, the women of the Sing-Akademie Zürich and the Zurich Boys’ Choir.
Paavo Järvi – Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Inaugural Concert
The Tonhalle Orchester Zürich has appointed one of the best conductors of our time as ist new artistic director: Paavo Järvi takes over the post with the 2019/2020 season. Born in Estonia in 1962, Järvi is currently music director of the NHK Orchestra in Tokyo. In 2009, he worked with the Tonhalle Orchestra for the first time and again most recently in December 2016. Kullervo, Op. 7, is a suite of symphonic movements by the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. Although often referred to as a „choral symphony,“ the work avoids traditional symphonic structure and its five movements constitute a set of related but independent tone poems. PROGRAM Sibelius: Kullervo