Estonian-American Grammy Award-winning conductor Paavo Järvi is back in Hong Kong for two concerts on 29 and 30 March with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, and Russian-Luxembourgish violinist Alena Baeva.

Järvi will delight the audience with Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony – the composer’s most frequently performed work and a testament to an era of struggle and oppression. Also returning in Hong Kong, violinist Alena Baeva will bring Stravinsky’s meticulously structured Violin Concerto, widely considered as the composer’s best orchestral work. Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio espagnol will be a perfect opener for the concerts, echoing the dance-like qualities of Stravinsky’s neo-classical concerto.

Ahead of the concerts, Järvi shared with us his musical journey, his views on the role of conductor and his enthusiasm to collaborate again with Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra.

Paavo Järvi by Albert Venzago

Born in 1962 in Tallinn, Estonia, Paavo Järvi has always wanted to be a conductor, since he was 5 years old. As he says, “One could say that I was born into it because my father Neeme Järvi is also a conductor and he introduced me to music from a very young age”. Järvi first studied percussion, which allowed him to play in an orchestra while also being able to observe the conductor, learning and preparing himself to become a conductor.

From 1994 to 1997, Järvi was principal conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, and from 1995 to 1998, he shared the title of principal conductor of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra with Sir Andrew Davis. Between 2001 and 2011, he was music director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

Since 2004, he has been the Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and an Artistic Advisor to the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra. In 2006, Järvi became the Principal Conductor of the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra until 2014. Between 2010 and 2016, he was the Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris. Since 2017, he is the chief conductor of  the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich. He is also the founder of the Estonian Festival Orchestra and the Pärnu Music Festival.

Paavo Järvi by Brescia Amisanol

When asked to describe the role of a conductor, which can be vague for neophytes, Järvi explains that “a conductor needs to have a strong point of view about the piece being played and be able to communicate that to the musicians”. The conductor has to study and know the score thoroughly, remembering that the players often only learn their own part and do not have a view of the whole score themselves. According to him, the conductor is a communicator and a guide. “You need to communicate in the right way in order to bring the ensemble together – right balances, right choice of tempo, etc – and, in a performance, to be someone who guides the whole orchestra through the piece in real time,” Järvi says.

Järvi has conducted orchestras around the world and learnt how to adapt to different cultural environments, based on the traditions, values and customs. “It’s not just about how you communicate with musicians depending on cultural differences, but it is also the sound of each orchestra which is different. For instance, German orchestras have a strong and established discipline in the Germanic repertoire, whereas American orchestras often have a borrowed tradition from Europe,” he explains.

Paavo Järvi by Kaupo Kikkas

While his favourite composers or pieces are usually the pieces that he is currently working on at a particular moment, Järvi shares that he is drawn to the classical era and composers such as Beethoven, Haydn, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms, and 20^th century music by Mahler, Sibelius, Shostakovich and Prokofiev. However, he adds that “the musical possibilities are so vast that it is almost impossible to limit yourself to just a few composers”.

For his collaboration with HK Phil, the conductor has chosen an all-Russian programme featuring works by three composers, giving a glimpse of different facets of Russian musical culture. They will start with Rimsky-Korsakov and his Capriccio espagnol. “Rimsky-Korsakov was the father and teacher of the whole Russian school but, apart from his most famous work Scheherazade, his music is not often played which, I think, is a real shame,” Järvi says. This will be followed by Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto, which is a modern masterpiece, with Alena Baeva as soloist. About Baeva, Järvi believes that she is one of the most exciting violinists today. They will close the programme with Shostakovich Symphony No. 5, one of the greatest symphonies of the 20^thcentury.

Alena Baeva by Andrej Grilc

These concerts with mark the return of Järvi to Hong Kong, and the conductor is very excited to collaborate again with HK Phil for which he has great expectations. He concludes with enthusiasm: “I love Hong Kong, have always loved it and think it is one of the most glamourous and beautiful cities in the world!”

The concerts will be held on 29 and 30 March at 8pm at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre.

More details can be found here. Tickets can be booked here.