The Young Järvi

          Diapason

          Loic Chahine

          29.10.24

Born in Estonia in 1962 and now living in the United States, Paavo Järvi studied at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia and with Leonard Bernstein. He has developed an art of conducting based on precision, extreme legibility, economy of effect and great stylistic elegance. He has become one of the finest conductors of his generation (like his father Neeme Järvi before him, who learned the trade from Mravinsky), and has a substantial discography to his name. Warner has brought together in a boxed set of 31 CDs all his recordings made between 1996 and 2015 for Virgin, Emi and Erato: a vast ensemble of indisputable interest, even if it contains pages of more relative importance. Of course, you won't hear the same Paavo Järvi everywhere as you do today, having evolved over the last decade or so towards greater flexibility, freedom and daring, both in his gestures and interpretative options and in the choice and extension of his repertoire. All the more reason to appreciate the pleasant surprises and excellent readings that abound, all deserving to be rediscovered and justifying the purchase of such a box set.

The first of these was the splendid Dutilleux programme (Métaboles, Sur le même accord, Symphony No. 1) with violinist Christian Tetzlaff and the Orchestre Paris. Christian Tetzlaff and the Orchestre de Paris (2013), Brahms's two piano concertos with the late and highly inspired Nicholas Angelich at Frankfurt Radio (2007 and 2009), Rachmaninov's Symphonic Dances (2011), Sibelius's youthful symphony-cantata Kullervo (1997), his Lemminkäinen Suite and Luonnotar (1996), also fascinating, not to mention Shostakovich's rare but impressive cantata The Execution of Stepan Razine (2012). Elsewhere, the accompanying conductor's seismographic sensitivity and ability to support and propel are evident. These include Shostakovich's excellent Piano Concerto No. 1 (with Leif Ove Andsnes and Hakan Hardenberger, 1997), Prokofiev's Symphonie concertante and Schumann's Concerto op. 129 with Truls Mørk (1997 and 2003), Dvorak's Concerto op. 104 with Gautier Capuçon (2008), combining expressive élan and analytical rigour, energetic commitment and sober distance.

Sometimes the balancing act breaks down. So, despite its flattering colours and spectacular dynamics, Mahler's Symphony No. 2 ‘Resurrection’ with Frankfurt (2009) disappoints: too much at the first level, illustrative, anecdotal. The opposite of the message transcended by Bruno Walter or Bernstein. On the other hand, the foray into French symphony (Bizet, Franck, Roussel with the Orchestre de Paris) proved fascinating and exemplary.

It augurs well for more recent successes (Shostakovich, Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner and Schönberg), recorded for other labels.

‘Paavo Järvi, The Complete Erato Recordings. Erato, 31 CDs