As the 2015/16 concert season draws to an end so does Paavo Järvi​‘s highly successful tenure as Music Director of the Orchestre de Paris, a position he has held since 2010/11. His final concert in the Philharmonie is on 18 June when he conducts Mahler’s Symphony No.3 with Michelle DeYoung.

The orchestra has just returned from a Swiss tour, taking in Geneva, Zurich, Lucerne and Bern, and other highlights of the past season include a hugely successful European tour in November 2015 which received the following reviews:

“It’s Paavo Järvi’s last season as chief conductor of the Orchestre de Paris and on Saturday they performed together at the Vienna Konzerthaus. Taking this performance as a yardstick, these five years together must have been a very fruitful collaboration: one rarely experiences such an immediate connection between orchestra and conductor, such an extraordinarily attentive presence on both sides so that with economical means an understanding of the most subtle shades is possible.” (Wiener Zeitung)

“This was a special evening at the (Berlin) Philharmonie … One thing is for sure: Järvi is not one of those conductors who exhaust themselves visibly … His body language is one of controlled movements which demonstrate reasoning and nobility.” (Berliner Morgenpost)

“… the Orchestre de Paris sounds as if the musicians are just one person … and Järvi knows to use it. With the help of their uncommonly precise interrelationship he succeeds in building up a fascinating musical suspense.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)

In September 2015 Paavo Järvi was presented with the Sibelius Medal in recognition of his achievements in championing the composer’s music in France. He was also named Artist of the Year by France’s Diapason Magazine and his recording of works by Dutilleux with the Orchestre de Paris on Erato received an ECHO Classic Prize.