The Estonian conductor returns to Italy with Sibelius and a new interpretation of Prokofiev

La Repubblica Roma

Andrea Penna

22.02.24

Järvi 'I direct the drama of a story that repeats itself

An international baton by vocation, career and above all personal history, Paavo Järvi is not seen too often in Italy, partly because he devotes himself more to the symphonic repertoire than to opera.

His return to the podium at the Accademia di Santa Cecilia tonight coincides with the debut of violinist Augustin Hadelich. German-born but Italian by birth and for a fundamental part of his training, Hadelich is a virtuoso appreciated in a repertoire ranging from Paganini to Dutilleux. For his Cecilia debut he chose the Violin Concerto in D min by Jean Sibelius, at the centre of a programme opened by Debussy's Prelude à l'apre-midi d'un faune and closed with Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony.

"Sibelius continues to be unpopular in many countries, even in Italy," notes Paavo Järvi, "perhaps also because of some old critical stances that branded him as a musician lagging behind romantic models. His violin concerto is an exception, it is a splendid piece that brings the audience, performers and even the ticket office together'. 

Estonian by birth, Paavo Järvi now leads the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich after having made a strong impression with the Orchestre de Pari. He is the son of Neeme Järvi, a celebrated interpreter of the Russian repertoire and also of Sibelius, who emigrated to the United States with his family in 1980. Paavo's brother Kristjan is himself a conductor and his sister Maarika an excellent flautist.

Two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Järvi's life experience adds an especially dramatic trait to his reading of Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, written in 1944 by a composer distressed by the propaganda diktats of Soviet power. "Music is often a mirror of the era in which it was written, and especially masterpieces stand the test of time long enough to see how history remains," the conductor points out, "as this symphony confronts themes of the Stalin era, the relationship with power, culture and war, which in many ways resemble those of today.”

Järvi, who grew up when his homeland was under Soviet occupation, has no illusions: "This is a dramatic and delicate moment, especially in my country which feels the Russian threat heavily also due to our strong support for Ukraine. It’s not the moment to abandon that country, even if the press and public opinion show some signs of tiredness because the entire Western democratic system is at stake and we could be next. Despite this - concludes Järvi - I continue to conduct Russian music because I think that a cultural clash doesn't help anyone."