In the news

I just spoke with Paavo Jarvi in the lobby of our hotel, to talk about his tour impressions as we leave Germany for Spain tomorrow. From our conversation, I think the biggest difference between this tour and the one in 2004 is the enormous amount of press the orchestra is getting. Suddenly, Cincinnati is on everybody's radar screen. Critics from Europe's four biggest papers were all at the Concertgebouw. Hamburg also got lots of notice, including Die Welt, which gave it a rare rave review.

Jarvi has spent nearly every day doing radio and press interviews -- and we're talking big features in newspapers that have lengthy, intellectual articles (think New York Times).

In Vienna, the producer of the city's biggest radio station did a two-hour show featuring Paavo discussing just the Cincinnati Symphony's CDs.

On the orchestra's free day in Paris, he did two newspaper interviews, plus one for radio and two for France's most prestigious music magazines, Diapason and Le Monde de la Musique. Those interviews were videotaped, and might be on their Web sites (I am looking for them...)

Arte France (television) did a big feature on the Jarvi family of conductors and will air a 45-minute feature just about Paavo soon.

And Stereoplay Germany named Paavo Jarvi and the CSO's latest Prokofiev disc their pick of the month (above).

By the way, there's considerable preview press in Spanish for the concerts coming up in Spain.

Here's a link to my Paris review.

Photo: Paavo acknowledges the Parisian fans at the Salle Pleyel on Thursday night. AP Christophe Ena