Paavo Järvi’s winter/spring 2026 highlights: returns to LA Phil (March 27–29) and Chicago Symphony (April 2–4); Mahler live and on recording with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich; much more

(January 2026) — Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi returns to the U.S. this spring for engagements with both the Los Angeles Philharmonic, where he conducts a program of Schumann, Beethoven, and Brahms’s Second Symphony (March 27–29); and the Chicago Symphony, where Sibelius’s Second Symphony is paired with music by Brahms and Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür (April 2–4). In his seventh season as Music Director of the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, he follows up last year’s releases of Mahler’s First and Fifth Symphonies on Alpha Classics with an April release of the same composer’s Symphony No. 7, and his March program with the Tonhalle – which will also be recorded – includes the Adagio from Mahler’s Symphony No. 10, along with Honegger’s Second Symphony and Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto performed by Hilary Hahn (March 18–20). Also with that orchestra, Järvi tours Japan in the spring with a rotating program featuring violinist Janine Jansen in concertos of both Brahms and Bruch, as well as works by Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Bruckner, and Schumann (May 17–23). Järvi also embarks on his second tour of the season with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen – which he has led for more than two decades – in Germany, Austria, Italy, and Spain, performing music of Mozart, Mendelssohn, and Schubert (April 16–25).

In February, Järvi returns to the Berlin Philharmonic with a program comprising Ravel’s Piano Concerto performed by Lang Lang and Hans Rott’s Symphony No. 1, which the orchestra last performed under the baton of Järvi’s father, Neeme (Feb 12–14). The following month, the conductor leads the London Philharmonic in three performances of a program comprising Tchaikovsky’s Second Piano Concerto, featuring French pianist Alexandre Kantorow, and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2, at home in London and on tour to Budapest and Athens (March 4–7). Looking ahead to July, the 2026 Pärnu Music Festival – founded and directed by Järvi – marks 35 years of renewed Estonian independence with a program celebrating nature, international talent and the next generation. Järvi and the Estonian Festival Orchestra perform five concerts together, commencing with the world premiere of a new viola concerto by Tõnu Kõrvits with soloist Amihai Grosz, and Carl Nielsen’s Sinfonia espansiva (July 11). Complete program information is available here.

Return to U.S. for LA Phil and Chicago Symphony engagements

Järvi returns to the Los Angeles Philharmonic this spring to conduct Schumann’s Overture, Scherzo and Finale, Brahms’s Symphony No. 2, and Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto with Beatrice Rana as soloist (March 27–29). Soon thereafter, the conductor returns to the Chicago Symphony to lead Brahms’s Variations on a Theme by Haydn and Sibelius’s Second Symphony, this time rounded out by accordionist Ksenija Sidorova’s performance of Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür’s “Prophecy” Concerto for Accordion (April 2–4). Järvi has long been praised for his Sibelius interpretations, receiving the Sibelius Medal in 2015 for outstanding achievement in the promotion of the Finnish composer’s music and recording a rapturously received complete cycle of Sibelius symphonies with the Orchestre de Paris a few years later. He also conducts his Estonian Festival Orchestra and Sidorova on her upcoming album of Baltic accordion music on Alpha Classics that includes Erkki-Sven Tüür’s “Prophecy” Concerto, as well as music by Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits and Latvian composer Pēteris Vasks.

Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich highlights

The Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich and Järvi launched their Mahler cycle on Alpha Classics in March of last year with the release of the Fifth Symphony, following up in October with the First. The latter recording was named a Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” for November 2025, with the review declaring:

“I do believe this is one of the best – perhaps even the best – account of Mahler’s precocious First Symphony that I’ve heard on disc since the celebrated Bernstein/Concertgebouw version. … Paavo Järvi and his Zurich orchestra really do make it feel and sound brand new. Its daring colourations are relished, its youthful audacity writ large. Everything is ripe and vivid. … Put simply this account rekindles much of the excitement that I for one experienced in hearing the piece for the first time. Heartily recommended.”

The next release in the cycle will be Mahler’s Seventh Symphony in April, and Järvi will lead a recorded live performance of the Adagio from Mahler’s unfinished Tenth Symphony this winter, along with Honegger’s Second Symphony and Shostakovich’s First Violin Concerto with soloist Hilary Hahn (March 18–20). A continuous draft of the Tenth Symphony was complete at the time of Mahler’s death, but much of it was not orchestrated, so a wide variety of strategies has been used since to create multiple performable versions. The Adagio is the only movement considered complete enough to represent Mahler’s own finished intentions.

Later in the spring, Järvi and the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich will tour Japan with violinist Janine Jansen, also joined by Japanese pianist Kyohei Sorita. The rotating repertoire for the tour includes violin concertos by both Brahms and Bruch, Beethoven’s Third Piano Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, and Bruckner’s Fourth “Romantic” Symphony, as well as the Overture to Schumann’s sole opera, Genoveva (May 17–23).

Other recording projects and recent successes

The first installment of Järvi’s new cycle of Schubert symphonies with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen was released on Sony Classical this past December, comprising the “Unfinished” Symphony and the “Tragic” Symphony No. 4. The album was a Gramophone “Editor’s Choice” for January 2026, with critic Richard Wigmore commenting: “Järvi and his Bremen players moved me as much as any performance I know.” On tour with the orchestra in the spring, Järvi conducts both Schubert’s First and Third Symphonies, with the repertoire also including Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19, featuring young Japanese pianist Mao Fujita, and Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” Symphony. Stops include cities in Germany, Austria, Spain, and Italy (April 16–25).

The conductor’s prolific recording output also included the release last September of the all-Arvo Pärt album Credo with the Estonian Festival Orchestra on Alpha Classics, recorded at the 2025 Pärnu Festival, where the orchestra is the resident ensemble and of which Järvi is founder and Artistic Director. The album was part of a series of celebrations of Pärt – not only a compatriot but also a close family friend of Järvi’s – on his 90th birthday. The conductor subsequently led the Estonian Festival Orchestra in all-Pärt performances in Tallinn, Vienna, Zurich, and Hamburg, before culminating with a performance in Carnegie Hall that marked the orchestra’s North American debut. As Alex Ross noted in his blog, The Rest is Noise, “Paavo Järvi’s … approach to Pärt is a shade more dynamic and unsettled than the ECM norm … puncturing the stereotype of Pärt as a poet of quietude.” Following the Carnegie Hall performance, The Wall Street Journal declared: “Mr. Järvi led a scorching performance, with the orchestra and both choruses gratifyingly unconstrained.” The New York Times concluded: “Like his father, Neeme Järvi, Paavo has dedicated himself with profound understanding and excellence to the works of Arvo Pärt.”

Paavo Järvi: winter/spring 2026

Jan 21, 22
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Kirill Gerstein, piano
Thomas ADÈS: …but all shall be well
RACHMANINOV: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

Jan 22
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Lunch Concert
BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

Jan 29, 30, 31; Feb 1
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Hélène Grimaud, piano
JANÁČEK: The Cunning Little Vixen Suite (Jan 30, 31; Feb 1)
GERSHWIN: Concerto in F (Jan 30, 31; Feb 1)
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 5 in E-flat, Op. 82

Feb 6
Luxembourg
Luxembourg Philharmonic
Bruce Liu, piano
RACHMANINOV: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43
HANS ROTT: Symphony No.1 in E

Feb 12–14
Berlin, Germany
Berlin Philharmonic
Lang Lang, piano
RAVEL: Concerto for Piano in G
HANS ROTT: Symphony No.1 in E

Feb 18, 19
Paris, France
Orchestre de Paris
Sol Gabetta, cello
Helena TULVE: Wand’ring Bark
ELGAR: Concerto for Cello in E minor, Op. 85
BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra

Feb 26–March 1
NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra
Martin Fröst, clarinet (Feb 26, 27)
NIELSEN: Concerto for Clarinet, Op. 57 (Feb 26, 27)
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 3 in D, Op. 29, “Polish”
Feb 26, 27; March 1: Hamburg
Feb 28: Hanover

March 4, 5, 7
Tour with London Philharmonic
Alexandre Kantorow, piano
TCHAIKOVSKY: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in G, Op. 44
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43
March 4: London, England (Royal Festival Hall)
March 5: Budapest, Hungary (Béla Bartók National Concert Hall)
March 7: Athens, Greece (Megaron)

March 11–13
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Janine Jansen, violin (March 11, 12)
Thomas ADÈS: Three Studies from Couperin
BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin in D (March 11, 12)
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish”

March 18–20
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Hilary Hahn, violin
MAHLER: Adagio from Symphony No. 10
HONEGGER: Symphony No. 2
SHOSTAKOVICH: Concerto for Violin No. 1 in A minor, Op. 77 (99)

March 27–29
Los Angeles, CA
Walt Disney Concert Hall
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Beatrice Rana, piano
SCHUMANN: Overture, Scherzo and Finale in E, Op. 52
BEETHOVEN: Concerto for Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
BRAHMS: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 73

April 2–4
Chicago, IL
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Ksenija Sidorova, accordion
BRAHMS: Variations on a Theme by Haydn, Op. 56
Erkki-Sven TÜÜR: Concerto for Accordion, “Prophecy”
SIBELIUS: Symphony No. 2 in D, Op. 43

April 16-25
Tour with Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen
Mao Fujita, piano
Repertoire selected from:
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 1 in D, D82
MOZART: Concerto for Piano No. 19 in F, K. 459
SCHUBERT: Symphony No. 3 in D, D200
MENDELSSOHN: Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish”
Apr 16–18: Bremen, Germany (Die Glocke)
Apr 19: Heidelberg, Germany (Heidelberger Frühling Festival)
Apr 21: Vienna, Austria (Musikverein Wien)
Apr 22: Valencia, Spain (Palau de la Música)
Apr 24: Reggio Emilia, Italy (Teatro Municipale Romolo Valli)
Apr 25: Hamburg, Germany (Elbphilharmonie)

May 8–10
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Maria Dueñas, violin
KORNGOLD: Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 35
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 (May 8)
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat, “Romantic” (May 9, 10)

May 11
Milan, Italy
Teatro alla Scala
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Maria Dueñas, violin
KORNGOLD: Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 35
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64

May 17-23
Japan tour with Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Janine Jansen, violin
Kyohei Sorita, piano
Repertoire selected from:
SCHUMANN: Genoveva Overture, Op. 81
BRAHMS: Concerto for Violin in D, Op. 77
TCHAIKOVSKY: Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64
BEETHOVEN: Concerto for Piano No. 3 in C minor, Op. 37
BRUCKNER: Symphony No. 4 in E-flat, “Romantic”
May 17: Yokohama (Minato Mirai Hall)
May 18–19: Tokyo (Suntory Hall)
May 21: Tokyo (Sumida Triphony Hall)
May 22: Nagoya (Aichi Arts Center)
May 23: Osaka (Symphony Hall)

June 17–19
Zurich, Switzerland
Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich
Igor Levit, piano
BRAHMS: Concerto for Piano No. 2 in B-flat, Op. 83
SCHUMANN: Symphony No. 1 in B-flat, Op. 38, “Spring”

Press Room