NEWS – PAAVO JÄRVI AND THE LPO: SHREWDER THAN DISRUPTION
Gary Manhine PhotographyIn appointing Järvi, the LPO has made the case for experience that the rest of the classical music industry currently feels slightly embarrassed about making.
The London Philharmonic Orchestra’s announcement of Paavo Järvi as its new Chief Conductor & Artistic Advisor from 2028 confounds expectations and challenges assumptions.
The LPO celebrates its centenary in 2032. To have settled the appointment of someone who combines craft and considerable experience and achievement is one thing. That the individual maintains a likeable presence that challenges the grand, stiffened archetype his considerable CV might otherwise suggest is invaluable. An appointment that will reassure marketers, players and funders alike–useful for a 100th birthday.
Any conductor (or come to think of it, any CEO, Director General) in post during the organisation’s centenary is rarely an appointment intended to disrupt. It is instead one intended to communicate stability. In this respect, Järvi is a safe choice in institutional terms.
Yet the effect of the announcement is far from safety. It simultaneously energises the London scene with an international name, a valuable reassertion for those home and abroad who may have regarded us flagging post-Brexit.
The classical industry is fluent in the language of ‘emerging’, ‘next generation’ and ‘relevance’, often downplaying experience in favour of novelty. The LPO leaning heavily in the other direction with a weighty name adds valuable credibility not only because it’s Järvi, but also because Järvi appears to maintain a wry, distinctly anti-monumentalist presence in nearly every photograph he’s seen in.
Järvi was introduced to the orchestra a few days ago, seen in a clip posted on Instagram which reinforces the idea that he’s not only choosing London, but the players have chosen him too. He’ll take up his position in 2028. Between now and then Edward Gardner, for whom the LPO appear at pains to outline his future plans as though they’re keen to underline this isn’t a rebuff or rejection, continues his role as Principal Conductor.
The LPO has always felt like a vibrant brand in its programming, its partnerships, its digital investment, and its playing. The Järvi announcement is an unexpected and gratifying shot in the arm for me as a London audience member, one which oddly makes the London Symphony Orchestra feel a little bit tired in comparison. It isn’t, of course. Perception is its own kind of magic. Stability can feel radical in a culture obsessed by novelty. Right now, the LPO has done something shrewder than disruption — it has made experience feel like the most radical choice in the room. https://blog.thoroughlygood.me/2026/03/04/news-paavo-jarvi-and-the-lpo-shrewder-than-disruption/
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