"I firmly believe in the unifying power of musical education. Working with the National Youth Orchestra was a great pleasure. So many talents in one room!"
Paavo Järvi
The National Youth Orchestra and Paavo Järvi perform Ludwig van Beethoven's 7th Symphony. This concert film and the corresponding making of „Zusammenwachsen auf Abstand“ ("Growing together at a distance") were created as part of a short-term production in October 2020 that allowed the National Youth Orchestra to continue its musical work under strict hygiene regulations after a pandemic-related break. It was the first collaboration of the young musicians with Beethoven specialist Paavo Järvi.
Sinfonie Nr. 7 in A-Dur op. 92
Recording from 17 October 2020 from the city of Beethoven, Bonn
Paavo Järvi was born in Tallinn in 1962 where he studied percussion and conducting. Later he continued his studies at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia and at the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute with Leonard Bernstein. After working in various countries around the world, he took over the artistic direction of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen in 2004. He also conducts the Estonian Festival Orchestra, the NHK Symphony Orchestra Tokyo and, since a year ago, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich. The Beethoven Project, a complete recording of all the Bonn composer's symphonies with the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen, brought him worldwide recognition.
The National Youth Orchestra is Germany's youngest top orchestra for young musicians aged 14 to 19 and the Berlin Philharmonic's sponsor orchestra. It was founded in 1969 by the German Music Council. Conductors such as Andris Nelsons, Ingo Metzmacher and Kirill Petrenko have already stood at the podium here. Sir Simon Rattle has been honorary conductor since 2018. During the work phases, the young musicians develop challenging compositions, including contemporary works and world premieres. The orchestra has toured throughout Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa.