Paavo Järvi conducts Fauré: Bonus Interview

Paavo Järvi, music director of the Orchestre de Paris with which he performed the Fauré Requiem, speaks about this religious and choral masterpiece, a true milestone of French music.

During this interview, given on the occasion of his concert Paavo Järvi conducts Fauré: Requiem & other works, the Orchestre de Paris's music director speaks about the French composer's Requiem.

According to Paavo Järvi, this choral score, a masterpiece in sacred music, has not a lot to do with a "mass for the dead," as it supposed to be. Instead, its peaceful character and the perfect harmony and beauty that emanates from the score give an impression of elevation. On the other hand, the fact that Gabriel Fauré was not necessarily a very religious man makes it is hard to believe in the liturgical text. As always when it comes to Fauré, the melodies in the Requiem are heady, exhilarating like in the lyrical genre – so much that Paavo Järvi almost hesitated to call the "Pie Jesù" an aria!

In this interview, Paavo Järvi shares his precious analyses of the Fauré Requiem, of which he is one of the best contemporary interpreters. He also puts the work into perspective with other Major score of the repertoire, such as Brahms's German Requiem, Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony, and Bach's music. These comparisons show once again the complete musician that is Paavo Järvi, who claims: "I am not a specialist of any music; because as a musician, the more experiences you hve, the richer you get." It is more than surely thanks to this maxim that Paavo Järvi has become the brilliant conductor that we know now...

Paavo Järvi conducts Fauré's Requiem:

• You can watch the full-length concert Paavo Järvi conducts Fauré: Requiem & other works on medici.tv!