Lang Lang and Paavo Järvi on tour

West Observer 

DW

08.10.2022

If a classical concert is sold out within a very short time, then big stars are often behind it. The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, one of the internationally renowned orchestras in Germany, is currently on tour with star conductor Paavo Järvi and the Chinese piano virtuoso Lang Lang. In Bremen, where the orchestra is based, there will be a very special concert, at which film excerpts from DW music documentaries will also be shown.

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen impresses with unique performances The concert with Lang Lang on October 9th in the Bremen concert hall “Die Glocke” will not only be heard indoors, but will also be broadcast free of charge as a public viewing outdoors, including the rehearsals before the concert. “It’s about encouraging people back to classical music,” says Albert Schmitt, Managing Director of the German Chamber Philharmonic Bremen. Because of the pandemic, there are many people who still avoid closed spaces. “That’s why the Open Air is a way for us to give people access to classical music.”

DW music documentaries play along

The program of the touring concert includes Joseph Haydn’s Symphony No. 96 in D major, called “The Miracle”, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 in C minor and Johannes Brahms’ Symphony No. 2 in D major. For the recording of the second Brahms symphony, Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen received the German “Opus Klassik” music prize in 2021.

During the outside broadcast, excerpts from the DW film production “The Brahms Code” will also be shown around the concert. “There are hidden codes in Brahms and it’s up to us to decode them,” said conductor Paavo Järvi during the 2019 shooting. “When I’ve conducted the Chamber Philharmonic in recent years, we’ve only played Brahms. It will always be intensively rehearsed. Brahms’s pieces are different every time. They keep evolving, like us, like people, like society.”

Brahms and more

The film by DW director Christian Berger accompanies conductor Paavo Järvi and the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen during rehearsals, in the studio and at concerts. “Christian Berger used a special trick of filming the individual musicians with their statements and then faded them back into the orchestra,” says Managing Director Arnold Schmitt. In doing so, he succeeded in directing work that reaches many people who are not necessarily influenced by classical music. “He makes it very personal and very emotional, so I love these films and we keep coming back to them.”

For director Christian Berger, “The Brahms Code” was the third collaboration with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Paavo Järvi. The DW productions “Schumann at Pier2” (2012) and especially “The Beethoven Project” (2010) won many international awards. Excerpts from these two music documentaries will also be shown in Bremen.

Different from others: The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen

The Estonian star conductor Paavo Järvi has been the artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen since 2004. Under his leadership, the orchestra set new standards in terms of tempo and transparency. DW is also involved in the orchestra’s international reputation, says Arnold Schmitt: “These films were of great value to us, also for the orchestra’s career. They were used all over the world and have the orchestra’s good reputation, especially in Asia spread.”

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen brings students to music in their social project “Future Lab”.

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen works as a project orchestra. The musicians are their own entrepreneurs and finance themselves. In this way they maintain their artistic self-determination and financial independence. The orchestra is praised for its unique musical style, concise accentuation and transparent sound.

Exceptional time for immersion

Every year, the musicians undertake a large cycle. That makes working with this orchestra special, said Paavo Järvi in ​​an interview with DW in 2020. “We take on a composer and really immerse ourselves in the work. We have specialists who come and advise us.” Orchestra and conductor take a lot of time for this. “It took us four years with Brahms, five years with Schumann and 10 years with Beethoven. How many orchestras have the luxury of investing so much time in standard repertoire? It’s a completely different way of getting to the essence of a piece .”

Paavo Järvi is known for his attention to detail and meticulous examination of the composers and their works. As principal conductor, he also directs the NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo and the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. The composer Joseph Haydn is currently the focus of the Chamber Philharmonic, even if the Brahms project is not quite finished yet. The first Haydn CD is scheduled for release in Japan in 2023, after which Brahms’ Serenades will continue to be worked on.

Pianist Lang Lang also received an Opus Klassik for Bach’s Goldberg Variations in 2021

The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen is working with star pianist Lang Lang for the second time. And with great anticipation. “Anyone who knows the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie knows that distinctive individualists and chamber musicians play there with a very high intensity,” says Arnold Schmitt. Lang Lang got involved with this intensity and in turn inspired the orchestra. “That led to a great moment for the orchestra, because he was able to respond immediately to every impulse, every color, every nuance. They rocked each other to a breathtaking level. That’s why I’m really looking forward to this second encounter,” says Schmitt.

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