A New Beginning in Japan

After giving the downbeat, Järvi stepped from the podium and exited through the violin section. Surprised looks and sideways glances did not stop the music, however. Principal clarinetist Richard Hawley, rising to the occasion with only "temporary panic," seized the moment to turn the CSO into one big jazz combo.

"You have to have fun in life," said Järvi, who returned to the stage just in time to signal the cutoff of the Gershwin with a quick flick of the wrist.

It was an upbeat finale to the CSO's first international tour with Järvi, which ended Sunday with the orchestra's return to Cincinnati.

It was a grueling trip: eight concerts in 11 days covering seven cities -- Sapporo, Mito, Tokyo, Yokohama, Kitakyushu, Osaka and Yamagata. Tour repertoire included Berlioz's "Symphonie fantastique," Sibelius' "Finlandia" and Symphony No. 2, Ravel's "La Valse" and Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite." (All but "Finlandia" and "La Valse" have been recorded by Järvi and the CSO on Telarc CDs that were available for sale during the tour. "La Valse" is part of an upcoming all-Ravel CD, to be released in 2004.)

Soloists were Japanese violinist Akiko Suwanai in Brahms' Violin Concerto and Chinese pianist Yundi Li in Grieg's Piano Concerto.

The orchestra and 18,509 pounds of instruments, wardrobe, sound gear and props traveled 16,566 miles -- seven domestic and two international flights -- and there were 21 hops on and off the bus, from the northern island of Hokkaido (Sapporo) to Kyushu in the south (Kitakyushu).

Journalists and family members, including retired CSO violist Allen Martin (husband of violist Judith Martin) and harpist Gillian Benet Sella's husband Uri and children Adam, 4, and Tamar, 9 months, negotiated subways, taxis, trains and buses because union rules do not permit them to travel with the CSO.

All agreed that the pace of the tour was daunting.

"The worst part was the very beginning" (because of the 14-hour time change), said concertmaster Timothy Lees. "By the third or fourth day we were into it." Others found the end of the tour the hardest -- three concerts in three days, including Tokyo's Metropolitan Art Space, Osaka and Yamagata. "We couldn't have gone much further, said principal second violinist Gabriel Pegis.

"Touring is not easy," CSO president Steven Monder said. "It's foolish to say it's a piece of cake. Our guys handled it really well." The orchestra's two free days were spent resting, taking walks or making brief visits to local sites such as Kokura Castle in Kitakyushu.

Travel stress brought on illness in some cases. There were a dozen or so cases of traveler's diarrhea (caused by the change of food and water) and at least one migraine headache. Two musicians missed concerts because of illness, but nothing else required more than a cough drop or a Band-aid, said tour physician Dr. Eric Warm.

Reward for their exertions was a heightened esprit de corps, a deepening relationship with Järvi and some unforgettable concerts.

"International touring draws the players together like nothing else, said violist Robert Howes. "You end up relying on each other more than at home and this blends into the performance.

"Some of the performances were awesome."

Järvi was the catalyst, he said.

"Paavo provided the leadership. We really, really wanted to give."

Communication with the players - "from the eyes" in particular -- is the key to Järvi's potent chemistry with the CSO, said English hornist Christopher Philpotts, who as soloist in the third movement of Berlioz' "Symphonie fantastique" worked one-on-one with the conductor. "Every performance was different," he said, depending in part on the acoustical requirements of the halls.

Järvi expressed extreme satisfaction with the level of communication achieved on the tour. In remarks to the CSO at a post-concert part in Osaka, he called it "falling in love (with the CSO) all over again."

Järvi's goal for the CSO, he told Japanese journalist Minoru Okimoto an interview following the concert in Tokyo's Suntory Hall, is "to dispel the myth that there is (a) top five (among American orchestras) and no more. The CSO has the flexibility of the best chamber orchestras and the power of the best big American orchestras. You have to set your goal very high. The most important thing to me is mental agility. That's our biggest project."

Japanese audiences already have taken the hint, judging by their enthusiasm for the CSO on the tour. In a month that saw visits to Tokyo by such orchestras as the Vienna Philharmonic and the Chicago Symphony, CSO attendance was 85 percent at Suntory Hall and 86 percent at Metropolitan Art Space. In other venues it ran from 71 percent in Osaka to 93 percent in Kitakyushu and Yamagata. This despite tickets prices as high as 18,000 yen (approx. $156), a large amount considering Japan's recessionary economy.

Audience response was uniformly positive, with sustained applause and bravos at every stop (standing ovations are not the custom in Japan, though people could be seen standing now and then). Two to four encores were routine and Järvi generally had to close his score, wave to the audience or lead concertmaster Lees offstage to signal the end of the concert.

There were some notable visitors at the Tokyo concerts, including Alexander Almasov, consul general of the U.S., Argo Kangro, charge d'affaires of the embassy of the Republic of Estonia, acoustician Yasohisa Toyota and famed Finnish conducting teacher Jorma Panula and his wife. A number of artist managers could be seen among the Tokyo crowds also, Monder said.

CSO CDs -- all four made by Järvi and the CSO were in record stores during the CSO visit -- had sold about 300 each by the end of the tour. They were for sale at CSO concerts also (for 2800 yen or approx. $24). Total sales figures are pending from Universal Records, distributor for Telarc in Japan, though activity at the concerts appeared to be brisk, as were autograph signings afterwards by Järvi.

"We expect our (net income) projections to be accurate," said CSO president Steven Monder, though expenses are still being tallied. Overall sponsor of the tour was Toyota Motor Manufacturing North America based in Erlanger, Ky.

An informal invitation to return to Japan has been issued "in view of the success of the concerts," he said.

Touring is a vital part of the CSO's long range strategy. "Our intention is to continue to be and to build up world class status," said Monder. A tour of Europe is contemplated for 2004-05 subject to successful fund-raising. Järvi would like to include his native Estonia, where support is particularly critical in view of the country's lack of resources for touring orchestras.

The primary goal of the Japan tour was artistic, Monder said, and that was accomplished. "The orchestra benefited. Eight concerts at a consistently high level raised the bar on their artistic level and their confidence in themselves."

Järvi glowed with satisfaction.

"The orchestra is playing with a sense of accomplishment. It comes from them realizing, all of us realizing, that something big happened. I think up until this trip the orchestra had a reputation through its pops activities. It has discovered a new expression and it's exciting for them, I think. It is a new start for the orchestra."