Reviews are in for Paavo Järvi and Deutsche Kammerphilhamonie’s recent release
22/5/2023
Acclaim for Paavo Järvi and Deutsche Kammerphilhamonie’s first recording of Haydn’s London Symphonies is flowing in. With five star reviews from both the London Times and Germany’s Rondo Magazine, the new recording project has been described as “finely tuned” (BBC Radio 3) and “brimming with life” (Gramophone).
“ … the most exciting and intelligent Haydn I have heard in a long time. And it’s not just the pulsating, ever-pressing tempi, not just the richness of colour in clearly contoured voices, and likewise not just the dynamic explosiveness of a highly motivated professional troupe — it’s the spirit of a “collective of obsessives” unleashed by Järvi that distinguishes this ferocious troupe from most comparable formations, thus finally freeing Haydn from the shadowy existence of a discrete symphonist.”
★★★★★ Rondo Magazine, May 2023
“The secret of comedy is all about – wait for it – timing. Joseph Haydn knew this and so too does Paavo Järvi, judging by this first instalment of the ‘London’ Symphonies with The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen. Haydn peppers his scores with pregnant pauses and Järvi, a dry wit, times them to perfection before delivering the punchlines. He can keep the straightest of faces, but his Haydn is never po-faced in the manner of some big-band conductors. I smiled throughout these performances of Nos 101, the Clock, and 103, the Drumroll … Both Bremen performances brim with life.”
Gramophone Magazine, May 202
“You can immediately tell how alert the musicians are and how well they communicate with each other … Finely attuned to the nuances, the humour, the unexpected modulations and surprising dynamics that thrilled original audiences.”
BBC Radio 3 Record Review Extra, April 2023
“ … delivered with enough wisdom, ensemble precision, phrasing subtleties and general playfulness to make me long for more. Haydn’s jokes and delight in incongruity are commonly noted, but it’s not often that performances actually make a listener laugh out loud. These did, regularly. Haydn is revealed in all his rainbow colours, technical mastery and engaging complexities …“
★★★★★ The Times, April 2023
“Järvi is an honest broker who in pursuit of the musical truth doesn’t take leave of his imagination. I’m already itching for the next disc in the series. Very strongly recommended.”
