Know Paavo by His Recordings

(first published in The Cincinnati Post Oct. 24, 2003)

Recordings are no substitute for the aural-visual whammy of a live performance. However, they are the best way to take the concert home.

You can do both this week at Music Hall as the Cincinnati Symphony, led by music director Paavo Järvi, performs Berlioz' "Symphonie fantastique" from their very first Telarc CD. Come back next week and hear the Sibelius Second Symphony, featured on their second release.

If you didn't experience these two blockbusters on CSO concerts in 2000 and 2001, they are not-to-miss. The CDs -- both critical successes that have outsold the classical market -- will be on sale in the Bravo Shop in the Music Hall foyer before, after and during intermission. Concerts are 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday at Music Hall, and feature guest artist Akiko Suwanai in Brahms' Violin Concerto and the CSO premiere of "Searching for Roots" by Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür.

On the Bravo Shop racks next week -- and in record stores Tuesday -- will be a brand new Telarc CD, the complete ballet suites from Prokofiev's "Romeo and Juliet." Sold in limited quantities at CSO concerts in September, it brings to four the number of recordings Järvi has made with the CSO. (An all-Stravinsky CD, including "Petrouchka" and "The Firebird Suite," was released last spring.)

The CSO is also preparing for a seven-city, eight-concert tour of Japan Nov. 6-15, where the Berlioz and Sibelius works will be performed. It will be the CSO's first international tour with Järvi. An amply supply of CDs will accompany the musicians.

The CSO and the Cincinnati Pops have made their mark as exporters, having won the Governors E-Award (Exporting Award) in 2002 for sales of their CDs outside the United States. And they keep coming. An all-Ravel CD by Järvi and the CSO, including the "Daphnis and Chloe" Suite No. 2, "Bolero" and "La Valse," will be released in early 2004, and they will complete an all-Debussy disc and a pairing of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and Carl Nielsen's Fifth Symphony this season for 2004-05 release.

Recordings in general are a way of getting to know Estonian-born Järvi better, especially during the times he is out of town (his next CSO concerts in Cincinnati are in mid-January). Järvi, 40, has a rapidly growing discography -- 29 CDs, with at least three more due this season, counting his work with other orchestras. He is artistic adviser of the Estonian National Orchestra and artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie in Bremen, Germany, in addition to the CSO.

Järvi has recorded more Sibelius than any other composer, with five superlative CDs. His countryman Lepo Sumera is next with four, a definitive set covering the late composer's entire symphonic output, most of it appearing on disc for the first time. Fellow Estonian Erkki-Sven Tüür has two CDs, including all three works performed by Järvi and the CSO, the Violin Concerto, "Exodus" and "Searching for Roots." All of them are world premiere recordings. Estonians Eduard Tubin and Arvo Pärt are also generously represented.

Nordic repertoire, with which he has been closely identified, makes up over half of Järvi's discography (an imbalance he is trying to correct). These include works by Swedish composers Wilhelm Stenhammar and Gösta Nystroem, made when he was music director of Sweden's Malmö Symphony. Russian repertoire is a big focus, too, with two recordings each of Stravinsky and Prokofiev. In addition, Jarvi has dipped proficiently into French music, including an early all-French CD that he describes as one of his favorites.

For the truly adventurous, try Järvi's recording of music by Estonian émigré Udo Kasemets, made when he led a new music ensemble in Toronto in the early '90s.

Music for chamber ensemble will form an increasing part of Järvi's work now that he heads the Deustche Kammerphilharmonie, one of Europe's leading chamber orchestras. Their debut recording together -- Stravinsky's "L'Histoire du Soldat," "Dumbarton Oaks" and Suites No. 1 and 2 -- is already out in Europe on the Dutch label PentaTone. American distributor for PentaTone is Telarc, which will release it in early 2004.

Järvi's earliest recordings -- with the Scottish National Orchestra Wind Ensemble -- are chamber works by Mozart, including the Serenade for 13 Wind Instruments K.361 (Gran Partita).

Here are recordings by Paavo Järvi to curl up with and listen to when he's out of town. If not available in record stores, try online sources such as www.amazon.com and www.amazon.com/uk (for releases not available in the U.S.). You can order BIS recordings from Qualiton Imports at www.qualiton.com.

• Berlioz, "Symphonie fantastique" and "Love Scene" from "Romeo and Juliet." CSO. Telarc. 80578. (2001).

• Bernstein, Symphonic Dances from "West Side Story," "Facsimile," "Prelude, Fugue and Riffs," Divertimento for Orchestra. Sabine Meyer, clarinet. Wayne Marshall, piano. City of Birmingham Symphony. Virgin VC 5 45295 2 (1998). Järvi can turkey trot and sing the blues (Divertimento).

• Britten, Piano Concerto. Shostakovich, Piano Concerto No. 1. Leif Ove Andsnes, piano. Hakan Hardenberger, trumpet. City of Birmingham Symphony. EMI CDC 556 7602 (1999).

• Dvorak, Symphony No. 9, "Carnival," "Scherzo Capriccioso." Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. RPO 2810 (1994).

• French Orchestral Music: Poulenc, Sinfonietta. Jolivet, Flute Concerto. Roussel, Sinfonietta, Op. 52. Ibert, "Divertissement." Manuela Wisler, flute. Tapiola Sinfonietta. BIS CD 630 (1993). Includes a positively unhinged version of the Ibert.

• Niels Gade, Violin Concerto in D Minor. Ole Schmidt/Gunnar Jansson, "The Öresund Symphony." Anton Kontra, violin. Malmö Symphony. Ars Nova Vocal Ensemble. Järvi, Ole Schmidt, conductors. BIS CD 672 (1994). "Öresund Symphony" was commissioned in honor of the new bridge linking Sweden and Denmark.

• Udo Kasemets, "Requiem Renga," "Palestrina on Devil's Staircase," "The Eight Houses of I Ching." Lyra Borealis Ensemble. KOCH IC 3-7165-2 H1 (1994). Cutting edge world premieres dedicated to Järvi.

• Mozart, Serenade No. 11 in E-flat Major K.375, Serenade No. 12 in C Minor K.388. Scottish National Orchestra Wind Ensemble. CHAN 8407 Hard to find.

• Mozart, Serenade in B-flat Major for 13 Wind Instruments K.361 (Gran Partita), Divertimento in F Major K.213. Scottish National Orchestra Wind Ensemble. CHAN 6575 (1987). Grand for Järvi (age 25), grand source of frustration (Gran Partita) for Salieri in the film "Amadeus."

• Gösta Nystroem, "Ishavet" ("The Arctic Ocean"), Viola Concerto ("Hommage à la France"), Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra. Nobuko Imai, viola. Niels Ullner, cello. Malmö Symphony. BIS CD 682 (1994). Nystroem's "Ishavet," a symphonic poem about the Arctic Ocean, is a real chiller.

• Gösta Nystroem, Sinfonia Espressiva, Sinfonia Seria. Malmö Symphony. BIS CD 782 (1997). Rewarding performances of rewarding works.

• Arvo Pärt, "Summa," Trisagion," Symphony No. 3, "Fratres," "Silouans Song," "Festina Lente," "Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten." Estonian National Orchestra. Virgin VC 5 45501 2 (2002). Sublime music by Estonian "mystical minimalist" Pärt.

• Prokofiev, Sinfonia Concertante for Cello and Orchestra. Miaskovsky, Cello Concerto. Truls Mørk, cello. City of Birmingham Orchestra. EMI VC 5 45282 2 (1998). Mørk thrilled CSO audiences with the Prokofiev in September, Järvi conducting.

• Sibelius, "Kullervo." Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Randi Stene, mezzo-soprano. Peter Mattei, baritone. National Male Choir of Estonia. Virgin VC 5 45292 2 (1997) One of Jarvi's absolute best and a must for future performance in Cincinnati.

• Sibelius, Cantatas. Ellerhein Girls' Choir. Estonian National Male Choir. Estonian National Orchestra. Virgin VC 5 45561 2 (2003). Not just for Finns, includes rousing "Song to Lemminkäinen" and "Finlandia" with sung text by peerless Estonian National Male Choir.

• Sibelius, "The Maiden in the Tower," "Pelleas et Melisande," "Valse Triste." Estonian National Orchestra. Solveig Kringelborn, soprano. Lilli Paasikivi, mezzo-soprano. Lars-Erik Jonsson, tenor. Garry Magee, baritone. Ellerhein Girls' Choir. Estonian National Male Choir. Estonian National Orchestra. Virgin VC 5 45493 2 (2002).

• Sibelius, "Nightride and Sunrise," "Luonnotar," "Lemminkäinen Suite." Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Solveig Kringelborn, soprano. Virgin VC 5 45213 2 (1996). "Lemminkäinen's Return" and "Nightride and Sunrise" take your breath away.

• Sibelius, Symphony No. 2. Eduard Tubin, Symphony No. 5. CSO. Telarc 80585 (2002). Estonian Tubin's Symphony makes a powerful addition to this superb recording.

• Stenhammar, "Excelsior!" Symphony No. 2, "Reverenza," Two Songs Op. 4. Anna Sofie von Otter, soprano. Stockholm Philharmonic. Virgin VC 5 45244 2 (1999). Stenhammar's Two Songs, enticingly sung by von Otter, heard the first time on disc in their orchestral version.

• Stravinsky, "L'Histoire du Soldat," "Ragtime," "Dumbarton Oaks," Concerto in D, Suites No. 1 and 2. Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. PentaTone PTC 5186 046 (2003). Chameleon Stravinsky gets a vivid performance here, his clever Suites providing lots of musical in-jokes.

• Stravinsky, "Petrouchka," "Firebird Suite," "Scherzo a la Russe." CSO. Telarc 80587 (2003). Core repertoire for Jarvi and the CSO.

• Lepo Sumera, Symphonies No. 1, 2 and 3. Malmö Symphony. BIS CD 660 (1994). Sumera's dramatic, color-drenched symphonies are a find.

• Lepo Sumera, "Musica tenera," Piano Concerto, Symphony No. 4. Kalle Randalu, piano. Malmö Symphony. BIS 690 (1994). Lepo Sumera, Symphony No. 5, Music for Chamber Orchestra, "In Memoriam." Malmö Symphony. BIS CD 770 ( 1996).

• Lepo Sumera, Symphony No. 6, Cello Concerto, "Musica profana." David Geringas, cello. Estonian National Orchestra. BIS CD 1360 (2003). Sumera's powerful Cello Concerto is the stunner here and another must, along with Geringas, for the CSO.

• Erkki-Sven Tüür, "Searching for Roots," "Insula deserta," "Zeitraum." Tubin, Symphony No. 11. Pärt, Symphony No. 1, "Nekrolog." Royal Stockholm Philharmonic. Virgin VC 45212 2 (1997).

• Erkki-Sven Tüür, Violin Concerto, "Aditus," "Exodus." Isabelle van Keulen, violin. City of Birmingham Orchestra. ECM 1830 (2003). Van Keulen and the Violin Concerto have been hits everywhere, most recently in August at the BBC Proms in London with Järvi conducting.