Music: A language beyond words

Yoshitaka Nagakura: Paavo, you have a long-standing and very special connection with Japan. How does it feel to be back here with the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich?

Paavo Järvi: It is always special to come back. My first time conducting in Japan was 30 years ago. It felt like I was entering a completely different world - almost another planet. The food, the traditions, the language, everything was new to me. Later, during my time with the NHK Symphony Orchestra, I gradually began to feel at home here. What has stayed with me ever since is the deep sense of respect that runs through Japanese culture. There is a quality in personal interactions, a kind of attentiveness and dignity. I have always appreciated that very much.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: The Tonhalle-Orchester is held in the highest esteem in Japan, and many of our clients have followed its performances and recordings for years. How would you describe Japanese audiences? Are they different from audiences in Europe?

Paavo Järvi: Yes, I think they are. In Japan, the audience's attention is usually very quiet and focused. You sense that people are listening for the music's inner depth - perhaps more than in many other places. Bruckner, for example, can be demanding anywhere: the symphonies are long and require real concentration. In Japan, you feel that audiences are willing to enter that world and stay there. They understand this kind of music in a very profound way.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: That may be one of the reasons the orchestra appeals so much to our clients in Japan. Many of them are highly discerning classical music lovers. Some even lend historically important instruments, including violins by Stradivari and Giuseppe Guarneri, to musicians around the world. This reflects not only a deep love of music, but also a strong respect for history, craftsmanship and cultural heritage - and a desire to preserve these things for future generations.

Paavo Järvi: I think that is very important. Music is never only about performance. It also depends on people who care deeply about culture - who protect it, support it and help pass it on.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: At LGT, the values of the Princely Family of Liechtenstein are an important part of our corporate culture and philosophy. When I look at the Tonhalle-Orchester and its more than 150 years of distinguished history, I see clear parallels with LGT. Both are rooted in tradition and enduring values.

Paavo Järvi: Tradition matters immensely - but it must remain alive. It should not be static. In music, tradition has to be renewed with every performance. Even if we play the same work three evenings in a row, it will be different every time. A concert lives in the moment, in what passes between the musicians, in the atmosphere of the hall, in the audience and in the energy of that particular evening.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: And would you agree that this uniqueness of the moment is something that technology - including AI - can never reproduce?

Paavo Järvi: Yes. AI can identify the most probable solution based on things that already exist, on what has already been said or done. But music is not about the most probable solution. It is about inspiration, about something alive, about a new experience shared with an audience. It cannot be reduced to probability. Music-making is about intuition, imagination, tension, timing, listening and risk. It unfolds in real time and depends on human presence.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: I do not have any musical expertise, but over the years I have come to enjoy classical music and opera more and more. It sometimes feels to me like witnessing a great architectural masterpiece being assembled by incredibly talented artists. And what strikes me most is that these magnificent symphonies were created by human beings. That thought fills me with wonder.

Paavo Järvi: That is beautifully put. Music can indeed feel architectural - and at the same time deeply emotional and human. Perhaps that is why it reaches people so directly, even across different languages and cultures

Yoshitaka Nagakura: You have said that conducting an orchestra is in some ways similar to managing a large company. Where do you see the parallels?

Paavo Järvi: Both require structure and leadership. An orchestra needs a conductor to bring together a very complex work and shape its interpretation. Similarly, companies need people who make fundamental decisions. But hierarchy alone is not enough. Communication is essential in both worlds: you have to listen, react, understand people, create trust and move in the same direction. Without that, no structure can hold.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: That idea of leadership through listening is interesting. Was that part of the thinking behind the Conductors Academy?

Paavo Järvi: Yes. Teaching is something I enjoy very much. I want to understand what young people need - not in an abstract sense, but as individuals. The truth is that I learn a great deal in the process, perhaps even more than the students do. Working with younger conductors refreshes your principles. It brings you back to the fundamental truths that you sometimes forget over the years, or stop focusing on with the same intensity. It is by no means a one-way process.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: Japan is known for technical excellence in music education. What qualities will the next generation of Japanese artists need if they want to lead the orchestras of tomorrow?

Paavo Järvi: Curiosity. Openness. A genuine connection to the wider world. It is important for young artists to stay in dialogue with Europe and America, and with international developments more broadly. The more global their outlook, the richer their artistic personality becomes. Technical mastery matters, of course, but it is not enough. You need imagination, perspective and the courage to look beyond your immediate surroundings.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: You were recently awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon, as Honorary Conductor of the NHK Symphony Orchestra. What did that mean to you?

Paavo Järvi: I was very grateful. Honouring people for their work is a wonderful gesture. For me, a central part of that work has always been cultural exchange. I have always felt it was part of my mission to introduce the music and culture of Estonia, where I am from, to audiences abroad. It was very important to me, for example, to bring the NHK Symphony Orchestra to Estonia. We performed works from both countries, so it became a true exchange - not only introducing Estonian music in Japan, but bringing Japanese music to audiences in Estonia as well.

Yoshitaka Nagakura: That is a beautiful example of how music can build bridges. What does the orchestra take home with it after a tour like this?

Paavo Järvi: Many memories - both musical and personal. A tour always brings musicians incredibly close together. In Japan, we get to perform for a loyal and passionate audience. That enthusiasm is one of the things that makes touring here so special. When an orchestra feels that kind of connection abroad, it returns home with renewed confidence. Those experiences stay with an ensemble for a long time.