CSO Turns Heads in Europe

• Austrian Press Agency, Oct. 30: Although "too heavy" accompanying Helene Grimaud in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, "the U.S. musicians rehabilitated themselves with an exceptional, independent and interesting rendition of this enormous orchestral work (Mahler Fifth Symphony). The discipline and handcrafted brilliance of the orchestra, especially the beautiful sound of the brass and high strings, seemed to qualify without doubt the risky interpretation of the score. The guests from America presented to the Vienna public a new and unusual look at the many details of a Mahler symphony."

• Die Presse, Nov. 2: "The soloist, Helene Grimaud, was convincing less through her clear, virtuosic playing than through musical whimsy, which occurred above all in the charming Intermezzo of the second movement. The famous Adagietto from Mahler’s C Minor Symphony proceeded tactfully, without kitsch. The musicians didn’t grasp the chance to thoroughly sense the discharged sonorities of late romanticism. The precise dynamic gesticulations of Järvi were at times, without effect; however, the enthusiasm of the musicians was brought forth."

Frankfurt Alte Oper, Concert Oct. 30.

• Frankfurt Rundschau, Nov. 1: The reviewer praised Järvi’s accompaniment in the Beethoven Concerto and his "excellent rhythm" in the Nielsen "Maskarade" Overture. Of the Dvorak Seven, he wrote: "The orchestra shone with deep colors like a well-oiled machine, which punched out each sound element and let the bohemian master ring out two numbers before his magic nine from the new world (referring to Dvorak’s famous "New World" Symphony No. 9)."

• Stuttgarter Zeitung, Nov. 3: After "a momentum-filled exclamation mark with Carl Nielsen’s ‘Maskarade’ Overture" and "a promising beginning" with Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, "the concert flattened," the reviewer wrote. "Dvorak’s Seventh showed the limits of the orchestra, which cannot be ranked among the top American orchestras: flat strings, weak winds. Paavo Järvi never succeeded in getting the music flowing: no symphonic breath, many tones, but hardly an idea of what they could mean."

• Stuttgarter Nachrichten, Nov. 2: The reviewer described the CSO as "a precisely functioning orchestra machine with a direct, not very poetic sound, wiry high strings, somewhat neutral sounding woodwinds and velvety sounding brass." Nielsen’s "Maskarade" Overture "shouted for joy." Regarding Dvorak’s "Brahms-like" Seventh Symphony: "Järvi kept the sound lean and no-nonsense, but also demonstrated that the pianos and pianissimos are more common with Dvorak than is customary. The rhythm was springy, every change in tempo happened naturally. The finale of the symphony and also the encore, Sibelius’ ‘Valse Triste,’ were full of intensity."

• Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger, Nov. 4: (Of the Mahler Fifth Symphony) "With remarkable poise and  precise impact, Järvi led his orchestra through all the heights and depths, across all the breaks and contradictions of the more than one-hour-long Symphony. No extreme was left out, from pained exclamations to the infinite quietness of the Adagietto, from the eerie, death-seeking movement of the Scherzo to the two-faced Finale, which goes towards the abyss in a mask of joy. Despite this seeming chaos, the wonderfully balanced overall sound of the orchestra and the individual instrument groups was never called into question. The mighty applause motivated the orchestra to give an encore. After such excitement, Sibelius’ ‘Valse Triste’ felt like healing balsam."

Frankfurt Alte Oper, Concert Nov. 3.

• Frankfurt Rundschau, Nov. 5: "Scarcely was the final note played than Helene Grimaud stood. She pressed her conductor’s hand firmly, then her concertmaster’s, thanking him for something that is not had every day: a deluxe accompaniment, a finely shaped orchestra part that sometimes even made the listeners forget the soloist. Paavo Järvi delivered an incredible Tutti with feathered colors in the Intermezzo and extreme attention to detail. If one did not envy Helene Grimaud for her finger agility, one would envy her for this orchestra at her back." The reviewer utilized Cincinnati’s German heritage and Ohio’s new "swing state" identity to comment on the Mahler Five: "German orchestra tradition paired with that ‘swing’ that goes against the flow were the best prerequisite. The result was a truly amazing sound that was always transparent and dynamically extremely detailed. Paavo Järvi will not so quickly forget this evening, but he is not the only one. With his Cincinnati Orchestra, he has left something to hear."

Paris Theatre du Chatelet, Concert Nov. 5.

• Le Figaro, Nov. 8: "Järvi is already well known in Paris and one always admired his qualities of precision and authority: a head who knows what it wants and has the means of carrying it out." However, the reviewer criticized Järvi’s tendency to control at the expense of letting the ensemble "breathe" and "move." Of the CSO, he wrote: "Little known in Europe, the symphony orchestra of Cincinnati does not have a sound personality which jumps to the ears: very American, the brass are brilliant to gaudiness, the woodwinds heterogeneous."

• La Vanguardia, Nov. 12: "The synthesis of the art of the stunningly beautiful Grimaud shone through in the Andante of Beethoven’s 4^th Piano Concerto, the absolute highlight of a great performance, also thanks to the secure and compact sound of the Cincinnati Symphony. Under the watchful direction of Paavo Järvi, the North American orchestra responded with clockwork-like precision, which at the beginning seemed even excessive. Järvi imparted good humor and the confidence of someone completely secure in front of his musicians to sweeten so much rigor. The seldom played Sibelius 5^th Symphony proved that the sound of American orchestras has surpassed previous labels, and the legendary solidity of the brass section has spilled over to other sections of the orchestra. We discovered the power of the viola and cello sections as well as an excellent woodwind section. Järvi knew how to imprint the adequate amount of pathos on an uncomfortable score. This was another night on which North American musicians demonstrated that on the other side of the Atlantic, despite a White House with values that don’t show much inclination towards the arts and culture, not all is lost."