Mahler 1 album new reviews
Moto Perpetuo, Damián Autorino, 3 December 2025"From the opening “sound of nature”, Järvi shapes a reading that foregrounds the architecture of the symphony. Lines emerge with striking ease, and the orchestra’s internal dialogue feels unusually well-balanced. Instead of weight or grandeur for their own sake, the interpretation highlights how the music unfolds from within — from the song-like gestures of the first movement to the rustic dance of the second, the sombre procession of the third, and the eruptive energy of the finale.
The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich responds with playing of remarkable finesse. Individual colours stand out vividly yet remain fully integrated into the whole, allowing listeners to grasp how motifs shift, return and transform across the four movements. Mahler’s writing feels fully illuminated, its scale and detail held together with natural coherence.
With this release, Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich reaffirm the artistic purpose of building a complete Mahler cycle — an undertaking that requires long-term vision, technical discipline and a shared sense of musical identity. Their partnership brings fresh vitality to repertoire that remains central to concert life. And with the First Symphony, Zürich reconnects with a score that has been part of its musical narrative for more than a century."
ORF Radio, Katharina Hirschmann, 2 December 2025"When Paavo Järvi and the Tonkünstler Orchestra Zurich meet Gustav Mahler, Symphony No. 1 becomes very dynamic … Unbridled energy arises from the silence."Tour reviewsKölnKölner Stadt Anzeiger, Rainer Nonnenmann, 2 December 2025Mahler 2: "Paavo Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich vividly and grippingly bring out all the extremes and arcs of tension. They allow the delicate "Andante" to virtually fade away and freeze at the end, so that the timpani strokes of the attacca Scherzo burst forth all the more impulsively, startling parts of the audience. Wild tutti outbursts attempt to escape the perpetual motion of "In Calmly Flowing Movement," a movement that chatters mechanically through all the orchestral sections. The fourth movement, "Primal Light," names the existential situation and programmatic content of the symphony with a folk-like sense of reality and faith: "Man lies in greatest pain! / I would rather be in heaven." Mezzo-soprano Anna Lucia Richter sings the "Des Knaben Wunderhorn" song with a wonderfully soft, dark timbre.Klassik Begeistert, 2 December 2025, Brian Cooper"A Mahler event: this Second from Zurich will resonate for a long time to come … Somehow, the atmosphere before the concert is special. The Philharmonie is almost sold out, and one thinks back to the great evenings of the MusikTriennale, Simon Rattle's very first concerts here, the Chicago Symphony, the New York Philharmonic. A touch of glamour – not glow – hangs over the Philharmonie. Mahler's Second, the Resurrection Symphony, is as impressive as the Third in terms of length and dimensions. The difficulty with such large-scale and powerful cathedrals, similar to Bruckner, is never to lose sight of the overall architecture. And Paavo Järvi masters this art superbly … Under Paavo Järvi, the Zurich orchestra also proved itself to be a top European orchestra that evening, whose performance of the Resurrection Symphony will long be remembered and reverberate."Baden BadenNeue Zürcher Zeitung, Christian Wildhagen, 4 December 2025"Shortly after taking up his post in 2019, Järvi jokingly suggested that the Tonhalle Orchestra had what it takes to be one of the five best orchestras in the world – a statement that suddenly no longer sounds so humorous, and certainly not utopian. Accordingly, the debut at the Festspielhaus is a grand affair: two large-scale Mahler symphonies, including the ‘Resurrection Symphony’ with a choral finale, for which the excellent Zurich Sing-Akademie is travelling with the orchestra, and Dvořák's Cello Concerto are on the programme … Both concerts are very well received by the delightfully large audience and end with ovations. The Zurich orchestra has clearly won new fans in Baden-Baden."Der Opernfreund, Inga Dönges, 3 December 2025https://deropernfreund.de/festspielhaus-baden-baden/ baden-baden-konzert-dvorak- und-mahler-tonhalle-orchester- zuerich-unter-paavo-jaervi- feat-gautier-capucon/ Mahler 1: "This music touched the heart and captivated the audience. This concert is thanks to the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. It was founded in 1868 and moved into the new Tonhalle Zurich in 1895. The orchestra currently consists of around 100 musicians and is undoubtedly among the world's best. Paavo Järvi has been its principal conductor since 2019. He was born on December 30, 1962, in Tallinn, Estonia. His training included studies at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute under Leonard Bernstein. It's evident in his conducting; the music sweeps him away, incorporating small, dance-like movements. His conducting style is clear, characterized by economical gestures. These are often circular and then announce the classically precise pause. It's a style of conducting that projects the music clearly from the stage into the auditorium. Great applause followed this musical feast, which was both anticipated and delivered. As they say, hope springs eternal for more concerts of this kind.”Online Merker, Gerhard Hoffmann, 1 December 2025Mahler 2: "From the depths to the stars… That's how one could describe today's interpretation, because it doesn't get any better than this! … Paavo Järvi, with the splendidly performing Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, approached this monumental work with remarkable precision. Now, in recent decades, I have had the honor of experiencing this symphony, which I particularly favor, several times with nearly all the world's elite orchestras and renowned conductors. However, after this performance today, I felt as if everything I had experienced before seemed to fade away … With gripping drama, Paavo Järvi and the precisely playing Tonhalle Orchestra opened the Allegro moderato with a sonic orgy that was almost breathtaking. One stood in awe of the sonic language and technical perfection of the outstanding Swiss instruments, more or less captivated. A tone painting unfolded, celebrated in delicate brushstrokes from the violins and cellos, united with dark woodwinds and dominant brass elements to create an intoxicatingly harmonious whole. It was difficult to hold back the tears of joy."Wochenblatt, 29 November 2025, Marko Cirkovic"Festspielhaus Baden-Baden: The Zurich Tonhalle Orchestra, conducted by Paavo Järvi and featuring Gautier Capuçon, transforms Dvořák and Mahler into an existential sound experience.”Mahler 1: "The beginning seems to come from another time, from another layer of perception. Everything is quiet, expansive, indeterminate. Individual signals—distant horns, isolated woodwinds, shimmering strings—rise like memories that defy immediate identification. This gradual intensification, this layering of sound, which Mahler executes so masterfully, is rendered by Järvi with almost relentless clarity. Every entrance blends seamlessly into the growing texture, yet each voice retains its own distinct character.The orchestra's quality is revealed precisely in these moments. The strings trace arcs of such supple, yet simultaneously captivating lines that one almost forgets the technical skill involved. The wind instruments, both woodwind and brass, do not coalesce into a homogeneous mass; they remain individually audible, as if each player had their own story to tell. From this sum emerges a sound that is beyond reproach – not in the sense of polished perfectionism, but as capable of enduring tensions, of illuminating fractures without smoothing them over.… Finally, the last movement opens the door to a different kind of seriousness. Here, it becomes existential, and mercilessly so. From the very first outcry, a storm rages that is no longer merely a musical event, but a description of a state of being. Nothing remains stable: themes collide, forms tear open, and dynamics are pushed to the limits of endurance. And yet, and therein lies the greatness of this performance, everything remains audible down to the smallest detail. Järvi and the Tonhalle Orchestra refuse any blurring of the lines. Where others dissolve into a sonic frenzy, they keep the lines distinct, allowing every motivic fragment, every counter-rhythm, every harmonic shift to shine through.”
TOZ rabaukenhai © Reinhard A. Deutsch
- Get link
- X
- Other Apps
Comments