You still pondering who could be the next Music Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic? Paavo Järvi has entered the chat.
I know, I know, he’s not exactly a stranger. In fact, as an alumnus of the late lamented Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute, Mr. Järvi is practically family. Since then, he’s had tons of experience leading noteworthy orchestras, including as former Music Director of the Cincinnati Symphony, current Chief Conductor of the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, and in the 2028-29 season, he becomes Chief Conductor of the London Philharmonic.
After being absent between 2006 and 2021, he’s been back fairly regularly . Thiss week represents his 3rd residence at Walt Disney Concert Hall since his 2022 return. And what a visit it was.
Friday night was the first of three performances of works by Schumann, Beethoven, and Brahms. It’s not the kind of program that jumps off the page as noteworthy. And yet, it proved to be a useful demonstration of what musicians and audience would want from someone who’d be the next podium leader: an ability to make warhorses sound fresh, while getting the orchestra to sound great and injecting some joy into the proceedings. Mr. Järvi did those things in spades, most notably in the Brahms 2nd Symphony.
Frequent All is Yar readers know that when it comes to Brahms, I’m partial to the concertos. I consume the symphonies more as duty than desire, with the quintessential performances my mind’s ear immediately conjuring up being Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony. LA audiences heard them do the 4th Symphony a few weeks ago at The Soraya, and the 3rd and 2nd a few years back at Walt Disney Concert Hall. Each of them — even the sunny 2nd symphony — was inside-the-box Brahms at its most exquisitely monumental and noble, never too fast or slow, loud or soft. These renditions align perfectly with Mr. Muti’s repeated admonition that this music is absolutely not entertainment, it is art.
I take him at his word. The Muti/CSO approach is Brahms as museum piece, to be admired — maybe even adored, if that’s your wont. It doesn’t happen to be mine, however. I can respect a Brahms symphony even if sitting through one is usually not my idea of a good time.
In contrast, Mr. Järvi was very willing to explore a wide range of tempos and dynamics while still respecting Brahms’s structure, scale, and sensibility. He managed to get a lush yet transparent sound from the strings, allowing woodwinds to be prominent throughout. Within the woodwinds, he calibrated balances between sections to create a variety of timbres while allowing principals Catherine Ransom Karoly (flute), Ryan Roberts (oboe), Boris Allakhverdyan (clarinet), and Whitney Crockett (bassoon) to shine individually when appropriate. Brass and timpani added color and punch as needed without ever overpowering.
The result was a Brahms symphony that was compelling and — gasp! — entertaining, even fun. Yeah, I said it: “fun.” I never thought I’d put “Brahms” and “fun” in the same sentence, and that alone says something about how successful Mr. Järvi was with his approach.
I wasn’t the only one having a good time. During ovations, the vast majority of LA Phil musicians had big smiles, much more than the professional and polite grins they usually have when receiving applause. Most notably, with the 3rd curtain call, Acting Concertmaster Bing Wang made a concerted effort to keep the orchestra seated to allow the conductor to receive ovations himself; Mr. Järvi quickly pulled her out of her 1st violin chair and the rest of the musicians stood accordingly so they could all take a bow. The last conductor for whom I saw the orchestra make this gesture was the much-loved Herbert Blomstedt.
Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo, and Finale, the evening’s opening work, was entertaining in its own right. The cheery three movement work had somehow never been performed by the LA Phil before. Kudos to Mr. Järvi for digging it up and giving us its premiere. It deserves to be played again.
After the Schumann, Behzod Abduraimov joined for the Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 1. The Uzbek pianist has made a habit of being one of the LA Phil’s go-to replacements for indisposed soloists. This time, he filled in for the originally announced Beatrice Rana who withdrew “due to unforeseen circumstances.” Glad that he did.
He took an appropriately classical approach, keeping dynamics contained and textures clean. Pedalling was minimal. At the same time, he gave the youthful work energy and charm. The third movement was particularly playful. Mr. Järvi and orchestra matched his approach, offering spirited scaffolding and sensitive support.
As I mentioned last year, Mr. Järvi is one of the few regular visitors that has experience leading orchestras in the US and Europe with a reasonably broad repertoire. He’s won both Gramophone and Grammy awards. He brings no controversies or political baggage.
Locally, he has had a relationship with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I doubt he’d be put off with having Esa-Pekka Salonen as Creative Director, nor with the LA Phil’s extant relationships with Zubin Mehta, Gustavo Dudamel, John Adams, or anyone else. And now, there is clear chemistry between him and the orchestra.
If Kim Noltemy, the orchestra’s President & CEO, doesn’t already have him on her short list of Music Director candidates, I’d be quite surprised. That said, I don’t think there’s any rush to name him to the post. Plus there are other candidates who also deserve attention, including some that don’t yet have any appearances announced, even in the upcoming 2026-27 season (*cough* Andris Nelsons *cough* Jakub Hrůša *cough cough*).
Paavo Järvi returns to Walt Disney Concert Hall next season for only two performances of Wand’ring Bark by Helena Tulve, Bartok’s 2nd Violin Concerto (Vilde Frang, soloist), and Schumann’s Symphony No. 3. Judging by the success of this weekend’s concerts, those April 2027 concerts will be most interesting. Put them on your calendar now.
Random other thoughts:
- The crowd was enthusiastic and applauded between every movement. After the first movement of the Schumann, many audience members treated it as the end of the piece, giving a loud ovation and even some cheers. Mr. Järvi partially turned around, smiled, and held up a finger as if to say, “Just a second, there’s more.” The only movement transition that wasn’t interrupted was at the end of the 3rd movement of the Brahms, with conductor and orchestra giving only the slightest of pauses before jumping headlong into the 4th.
- Mr. Abduraimov played a beautiful encore. Unfortunately, I didn’t recognize it. Once I get confirmation from the orchestra what it was, I’ll update here accordingly. [UPDATE: Friday night’s encore was Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G Op. 32 No. 5. Grazie mille to MmarkK for the heads up via comments below]
Los Angeles Philharmonic: March 27, 2026; Walt Disney Concert Hall
Paavo Järvi, conductor
Behzod Abduraimov, piano
Schumann: Overture, Scherzo, and Finale, Op. 52
Beethoven: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C major, Op. 15
Brahms: Symphony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73
RELATED POSTS
- Comings and going at the LA Phil and beyond (March 2026 edition, pt. 2): the latest guest concertmasters, thoughts on oboist Ryan Roberts, and more (March 19, 2026)
- Comings and going at the LA Phil and beyond (March 2026 edition, pt. 1): a clarinet tug-of-war and a viola shuffle (March 18, 2026)
- Comings and goings at the LA Phil (Summer 2024 edition, pt. 1): which conductors new CEO Kim Noltemy could — and should — consider as Music Director candidates (July 9, 2024)
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Photo credits:
- Paavo Järvi (2025): Elizabeth Asher, courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic
- Behzod Abduraimov: courtesy of the artist’s website
All is Yar 
“The quintessential performances” of Brahms symphonies in your mind’s ear are those by Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony? Surely not! It has to be the LA Phil with Giulini or Sanderling 😉 (for me, anyway)
Brahms is one of my favorite composers and I love his symphonies, but unfortunately he is the one composer the Philharmonic seemed to consistently have problems with in recent years. I agree with you; this week’s concert was very well played. And yet, it was somehow not my preferred Brahms sound.
I’m listening to a Sanderling/LAPO live recording of the Brahms’s Second from 1990 as I type this. In my opinion the old LAPO sound of the 80s was just so much better suited for Brahms! Maybe I’ll post and share a link here later…
Regarding the prospect of Paavo Järvi as the next MD: I think it’s unlikely, after he accepted the LPO appointment starting from 2028-29 season. Also, if he is appointed at the LA Phil he will almost certainly be older than Giulini was in their first seasons. That is a bit too old, in my book. He would still be very welcome as a guest, of course.
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Here is the recording: https://www.mediafire.com/file/5btf94lsm9j4bdt/Brahms2_KSanderling_LA_1990.zip/file
The symphony was played with endless breath and boundless lyricism. As much as I like the modernized, crystal clear LA Phil sound of today, at times I wish the orchestra could still play like this, especially in repertoire like Brahms…
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Thanks for sharing this! Very much appreciated. I have only listened to parts of it so far, but I see why you like it. Much to admire about the interpretation and the playing.
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Re: hearing Muti/CSO when I think of Brahms: I’m specifically talking about live performances of the symphonies. With Muti/CSO, there’s admittedly a little recency bias. My favorite live performance of the 2nd is probably Rattle/Berlin during one of their WDCH visits, which was more similar to Jarvi/LA in variety of pacing and dynamics, but with a more string forward sound.
But for better or worse, that’s not what I think of when the idea of Brahms and particularly “Brahms Symphony” is in my head. I think thicker textures, more stately pacing, more lush strings. Certainly when I’ve bumped into one of the 4 by the LA Phil by random conductors, some variation of that is what I got. And of that style, the best version I’ve heard in person was Muti/CSO.
I never had the chance to hear Sanderling conduct Brahms live. I heard him do Beethoven 9 and either 5 or 6, and I can extrapolate from there. I look forward to listening to the recording! I’m sad to say that I only heard Giulini conduct once, and let’s just say I was too young to remember the program and to truly appreciate it even if I did.
I do have the Giulini/LA “Giulini in America” box set which includes Brahms 1 & 2, and that version of 2 is on the rotation for when I decide to listen to that symphony. FWIW the others are Bernstein/VPO, Walter/Columbia, and Jansons/RCO.
As for Jarvi’s age if/when he becomes MD here: I doubt he’d take it while also holding Tonhalle and LPO simultaneously, so given that his Tonhalle contract ends after 2028-29 (same season he starts in London), the first year he’d theoretically start as MD in LA would be 2029. He’ll be 66 by then. I personally don’t think that’s too old to be MD; in fact, I think that’s a feature not a bug, especially (a) after we’ve had 2 young MDs, and (b) none of the younger conductors who are available and slated to appear in LA are that exciting (yet).
For comparison, Giulini was 64 when he took over in LA and held the position for what everyone seems to agree were 6 glorious years. Given where medical/health advances have come in 50 years, I’d say a 66-yo in 2029 is probably “younger” physically than a 64-yo was in 1978. Muti was 69 when he took over Chicago and Maazel was 72 when he started in NY. I think some in the orchestra would even be thrilled to have a 100yo Blomstedt today.
If Jarvi isn’t the MD, I hope he becomes one of the designated eminence grise, the way Sanderling was for many years, and the role more recently filled by Fruhbeck and Dutoit pre-pandemic.
Finally, to come full circle between Jarvi and Giulini: when Jarvi returns next year, he’s doing Schumann 3rd — and THE definitive recording of that IMHO is the glorious Giulini/LA version. It’s unabashedly broad shouldered and stately without being slow, and the orchestra sounds absolutely phenomenal. I own others, but I never listen to them anymore.
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One other tidbit on the Sanderling and Giulini front: my wonderful wife reminded me of a story told by retired Associate Principal Cello Daniel Rothmuller about how differently the two conductors approached Beethoven 9. It’s about 1/2 of the way down in Part 1 of my 2012 interview with Mr. Rothmuller HERE
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The encore on Friday and Saturday was the same; it was Prelude in G Op. 32 No. 5 by Rachmaninoff – here is a very different interpretation of it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5s51cjdZEc&list=RDz5s51cjdZEc&start_radio=1 .
On Sunday, Behzod Abduraimov played La Campanella by Paganini/Liszt.
The “Brahms sound” of LA Phil with Kurt Sanderling in the late 1980s was for the most part still the kind of sound that was achieved by Carlo Maria Giulini when he conducted Brahms including that same Second Symphony in LA between 1978 and 1984. Of course, the orchestra is very different now, but in my opinion, both approaches – the “old” one and the “new”, successfully demonstrated here by Paavo Jarvi last week, are valid and show two fully legitimate sides of that great music.
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I’ll get to Jarvi in a second, but since this thread seems to be about what was & maybe could be and what could’ve been…Georg Solti was signed in 1960 as LAPhil music director designate, but dropped out in ’62 after Metha was brought on as assistant conductor without his approval, so, just imagine…
Anyway PJ, he’s great if something of a double doppelgänger: he looks just like Vladimir Putin and conducts and interprets a lot like his Baltic pal of similar-vintage EPS. He was just at Carnegie earlier in the season with the full forces of both his Estonian Festival Orch & Choir for a set of Arvo Part 90th concerts that were just wild, beautiful, challenging and unforgettable. Like Salonen might have done, he didn’t focus on the Hollywood soundtrack Part, noooo, he went for a lot of the little-known 12-tone, discordant stuff that no one would play outside of a career-spanning concert tribute.
Since the LAPhil, in their upheaval a few years ago, missed out on Klaus Makela, I’m 112% on the Jakub Hrusa train for MD: you couldn’t Frankenstein a better candidate, even if he’s running Covent Garden Opera, Bamberg Symphony and is the incoming MD at Czech Philharmonic. Just for fun everyone should listen to his recording last year of Dvorak’s “A Hero’s Song”, I’ve never heard it (or of it) before, it’s a dynamic ride that needs to be programmed (and brought by him to LA!)
Lastly on this, I’d just say that presuming that Chad “LOL” Smith didn’t fire Andris Nelsons in order to sign Anna Handler before LAPhil does (if so, that backfired!) I will just say that thanks to Gemini and my enduring love of Mahler 1, the fact that Handler is closing the LAPhil 26/27 season with both a JOHN WILLIAMS WEST-COAST PREMIERE AND MAHLER 1 (plus a little tour to OC) has to say something…since the early 90s ONLY Salonen, Metha and Dudamel have conducted LAPhil in M1 EXCEPT for a couple of total nobody’s named (checks notes) “Pierre Boulez” and “Christoph von Dohnanyi” between MDs…AND both EPS and Dudamel played M1 in their first concerts as music director in LA. If they give me tea leaves, I’ll read ’em!… it seems like something is brewing for her at least (and if not, if I’m being crazy, I’m 114% down to know if there is a feminine take on M1 that would make Alma smile…)
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Ah yes, the Solti saga is legendary. He actually hired orchestra members while MD designate. He took the orchestra on multiple runouts to Santa Barbara between 1955 and 1960, with the 1955 program of Weber’s “Oberon” Overture, Sibelius “En Saga,” Stravinsky’s “Jeu de cartes,” and Beethoven’s 5th Symphony — I’d pay money to see that today (BTW: gotta love the CAMA archives).
That info about Mahler 1 is fascinating, though I politely question that Boulez and Dohnanyi led it — possible, but I don’t remember it and can’t find any mention of either on the interwebs. Do you know when?).
Re: Handler doing it = something in the tea leaves . . . I’m consolidating my latest thoughts and observations about the pool of potential MD candidates, so I’ll refrain from commentary for now.
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If Gemini is to be believed, Boulez performed M1 10/26-29/95 at Chandler (with a review note it listed: “controversial modernist interpretation”; Dohnanyi 10/13-16/05 at Disney. I just tried to search both guys on the LAPhil site, found nothing on either…but LAP definitely doesn’t seem to have massive, well-organized on-line archives like the NYPhil. But in the same list was the Metha version I saw at Disney in 2023, so… but it could very well hallucinating two shows I would have loved to have seen in any event!
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P.S. Thanks for the notes about Solti. I might be a generation younger than that early-to-peak times in his career (I only know him from the DG album covers!) but I was just imagining how LAPhil might be considered in “snobby reputation” today if he did a very long stint in LA and never went to Chicago…
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FWIW I’ve read some speculation that he used the so-called snub of not being consulted on Mehta’s hiring as Assistant Conductor as pretense so he could accept the Covent Garden gig instead.
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