The 2026/27 season brings numerous new facets to light. What does Beethoven stand for in the year of the 200th anniversary of his death? What colours did Mahler rediscover in the classic composer? Is Georgia the new hotbed of musical talent? And what do we use to make pianos melt and the hall boil? Music Director Paavo Järvi and Artistic Director Ilona Schmiel share their ideas for the new season and their programme highlights with us.
IoS Even if it's an announced surprise: there's always something new to discover with Beethoven. And we want to show a different side to Beethoven. There were also three debuts that were very successful in 2024 and 2025: Now we are delighted that Nathalie Stutzmann, Tugan Sokhiev and Santtu-Matias Rouvali are returning to us. Then there are the debuts of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla and Hannu Lintu. And thirdly: Rossini. We are realising his opera "La scala di seta" in a semi-staged production with Jan Willem de Vriend and directed by Eva Buchmann.
PJ We have a Prokofiev project together with Zurich Opera - a nice continuation to show the collaboration with the opera and at the same time to put more emphasis on Prokofiev. He is a fantastic composer whose symphonies are easily underestimated. We are playing some of his symphonies that are rarely performed, such as No. 4 and No. 7. For me, the Beethoven focus is also an absolute highlight: the Missa Solemnis, the Ninth Symphony in Mahler's version. We are also continuing our Mahler cycle, and Dieter Ammann is our Creative Chair - a Swiss composer after many years.
IoS I'm really looking forward to having Dieter Ammann as Creative Chair. This is now possible because we have worked closely with the Lucerne Festival. He was the Creative Chair of choice when we listened to the Swiss music scene - someone who is excellent at writing for orchestra. The work "glut", which we presented as a world premiere a few years ago and which has since become part of the repertoire, is exemplary of Dieter Ammann: he knows how to translate great complexity into his own world of sound and create an appropriate, unique language for the instruments.
PJ I haven't conducted anything by him yet, but I've listened to a lot - in preparation for the selection of pieces, I listened to almost everything that was available. He is a master of colour and instrumentation. In today's world, many composers write for smaller ensembles or with ideas from other genres, but you can sense what a challenge it is to use the whole orchestra. It's different with Dieter Ammann: he knows exactly how to make the orchestra shine, and the orchestra always sounds good with him. What's more, his music has a physical presence that you can immediately feel in the concert hall.
IoS It's important that he takes a stand on everything that concerns the music business. He is very active and clear in his answers. He stands up for the freedom of art. As a teacher, he is very much in demand and a role model in the way he deals with the issues of our music business. And he will also bring in other musical facets when we integrate his own band, for example.
IoS Khatia is an absolutely captivating, always surprising performer. She is technically outstanding anyway. But she is unpredictable - I love that. Every concert with her is a unique experience, where you never know what new moments she will elicit from a work.
PJ I adore Khatia. First of all, she is an authentic and original personality, strong-willed, with temperament. She is Georgian, which I also love. But above all, Khatia is an exceptional pianist. She is one of those pianists whose skills are the secret envy of all other pianists. What I find remarkable is her sensitivity and ability to colour. You could say she melts the piano and has an incredible dynamic range. We have recorded Rachmaninov and Chopin, but have also played marvellous concertos by Beethoven and Mozart. She is unique and also happens to be a very close friend of mine.
Paavo Järvi
PJ It looks like more and more talented Georgians are appearing on the scene. This has a lot to do with the mentality of a small culture where young artists are supported and encouraged. Georgia has outstanding musicians like Lisa Batiashvili and Khatia, and their support makes their protégés more visible. It is impressive to see how this tradition is passed on. This network of encouragement and mutual support creates fertile ground for the next generation.
IoS Lisa Batiashvili is a key person. She is bringing along Giorgi Gigashvili, for example, who is making his debut with the orchestra and will be adding further facets in a tonhalleLATE. Tsotne Zedginidze played in the Série jeunes in 2024/25 and is now also making his orchestral debut. We feel obliged to continue to accompany such developments. Incidentally, this is also the case with Lukas Sternath, who is a student of Igor Levit.
As a focus artist,IoS Wayne really brings a wide variety of perspectives and styles to the table: As an organist in his recital, then together with the orchestra and Paavo in Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue" and the "Second Rhapsody". He will also conduct a concert at play-conduct on New Year's Eve - with works ranging from Bernstein to Duke Ellington. Wayne epitomises this versatility between classical music and jazz like no other.
PJ To make it clear: The Ninth will remain recognisable as Beethoven's Ninth. What we call the Mahler version is actually Mahler's additions. Mahler wrote down what conductors do in rehearsals: balancing and making sure that we hear the inner voices. In Mahler's time, they added, doubled. So many people who listen carefully will discover things that they may never have heard before - because Mahler emphasises them by adding certain instruments. This results in a slightly different sound, a larger, more romantic structure. But he stayed very close to the score. There is not a single note that he changed.
PJ Yes, that's right. In the past, conductors always travelled with their own material, in which everything was notated - also adapted to different performance venues, adapted to the respective acoustic reality of the concert hall. In Mahler's time, it was normal for composers to make arrangements of older composers - a form of homage. Purists question that today. But I welcome any kind of experiment. These arrangements are great and bring a different colour. And they don't take anything away from the original.
PJ The Missa Solemnis is a strange piece. Everyone talks about it as the pinnacle of Beethoven's oeuvre. But at the same time, it is rarely performed - much less than the Ninth. This is due to the lack of the obvious earworm material that the Ninth has in its finale. It is a work that requires a certain inner maturity from everyone involved. You have to treat it almost like a slow movement of a Bruckner symphony - let it develop slowly. It takes time for the spiritual dimension of this work to unfold.
IoS We deliberately didn't want to focus on the Beethoven symphonies in 2027, but on the Ninth in the Mahler version and the Missa Solemnis as a singular work. We are also highlighting certain other genres: all the piano concertos with Rudolf Buchbinder in the play-conduct and all the string quartets with the Belcea Quartet and Quatuor Ébène. In addition, there are new works in the field of chamber music, which can be seen as commentaries on Beethoven.
Ilona Schmiel
IoS For me, it's a Beethoven who is still absolutely relevant. He created works that inspire a new debate through a new interpretation and show that this is still contemporary music today. The fascination for the composer is unbroken. And we will have projects that reach into the digital realm and make it possible to experience Beethoven directly.
In my opinion,PJ Prokofiev is one of the great symphonists of the 20th century. His language is so original and unmistakable. The development of his harmonic language is unique. The Fifth is considered by many to be the greatest symphony of the 20th century. But other symphonies of his - apart from No. 5 and the "Classical" No. 1 - are almost never played. The Second and Third are brilliant and a reflection of modernism. It just needs a little light to make it shine.
IoS It's a small, fine piece of jewellery, an operatic comedy - and a beautiful addition to the large opera repertoire at an opera house. A one-act play like this fits perfectly on the Tonhalle stage, with a relatively small cast. The comedy is emphasised with a suitable stage design that is tailored to the Tonhalle stage. It's a nice change for our orchestra to play opera from time to time. It sharpens the ear for vocal lines and dramatic arcs.
PJ I love this format because it puts us in the centre of the city. The philosophy of going out, of accessibility, is really lived. At an outdoor concert, things are simple and uncomplicated, full of joy and fun. We accept and embrace all the other sounds that the city brings. I love it when you hear people of all ages laughing in between, when there is this natural interaction. At the same time, we do our best, at our usual high level. But I like the fact that we are so close to the people - not just bringing the audience to us, but simply meeting with the audience in the heart of the city of Zurich.
