Ten days in Japan

The long journey to Japan took us in two travelling groups via Amsterdam and Helsinki before we finally arrived in Tokyo after what felt like endless passport checks. The orchestra had last performed here with Paavo Järvi in autumn 2023 - now six more concerts awaited us. An intense journey full of music, encounters and special moments began.

The first concert took place in Yokohama, around an hour south of Tokyo. We used the day before to arrive - in the truest sense of the word. Between jet lag, initial explorations and small personal adventures, everyone found their own rhythm: some were drawn to the mountains, others to music shops or in search of Japanese kitchen knives, guitars or special souvenirs. This day off is almost essential to get your body and mind in the mood for Japan.

The first concert felt good. The violinist Janine Jansen, whom we know very well from our concerts in Zurich, was as always sublime and surrounded by an incredible aura. An almost full hall was enthusiastic. When we suddenly spotted Toshio Hosokawa - our Creative Chair for the 2022/23 season - among the guests, we were delighted to see a familiar face in the distance.

Japanese audiences experience classical music in their own way. Paavo Järvi remarked several times how unusual it was to see crowds of people waiting for artists after the concerts - patient, respectful and full of enthusiasm to get autographs or have souvenirs signed.

The applause is also different to at home: long, focussed and full of appreciation. Even when the dismantling of the stage has already begun, the audience calls the conductor back once again. At the same time, it remains surprisingly quiet in the foyers - before and after the concert, there is an almost reverent atmosphere.

The legendary Suntory Hall in Tokyo remains a highlight of every tour of Japan. It was opened by Herbert von Karajan exactly forty years ago, and his legend can still be felt there today. The square in front of the hall bears his name.

Here, too, the audience was highly focussed and respectful. No mobile phones, no videos, no photos - neither before nor after the concert. The music and respect for the artists take centre stage.

A performance in this hall is also something special for the orchestra, and you could feel it. Our sound came across wonderfully in the acoustics of the Suntory Hall, and the musicians played with unbridled vigour. Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 5 was incredibly energetic - "a statement", was the opinion of more than just the Swiss ambassador, especially in view of the fact that a lot of Tchaikovsky is played here. Bruckner's Symphony No. 4 from the first evening, which is still demanding even for Japanese audiences, also met with an enthusiastic response.

The Japanese pianist Kyohei Sorita delighted his home audience with Beethoven's Third Piano Concerto. And it wasn't just us who were happy about these concerts - our partner Japan Arts, which regularly presents top international orchestras, also spoke of "outstanding performances".

Backstage, meanwhile, a state of emergency prevailed. Numerous guests, friends and fans were waiting for Paavo Järvi. Some were still standing outside the hall or in the underground car park ninety minutes after the end of the concert, trying to get a photo or an autograph. This level of enthusiasm is rare in Europe.

Our main partner LGT accompanied almost the entire tour. In the Suntory Hall alone, 170 guests were invited. The demand for tickets was so great that even more seats could easily have been allocated - but the hall was completely sold out. At the reception afterwards, countless selfies were taken with the soloists and Paavo Järvi. The Swiss ambassador was also impressed and proud of the orchestra, which presented itself in outstanding form among the top international ensembles. Initial reviews confirmed this impression.

However, after the last concert in Tokyo, in the Sumida Triphony Hall, we had to cancel the planned signing. In Japan, concert hall hire times are meticulously adhered to, and after we had completely exhausted the time limit with two encores, there was simply no option left. After four concerts in the greater Tokyo area, we travelled on to Nagoya. The journey on the Shinkansen high-speed train remains fascinating every time - precise, quiet and incredibly efficient.

Nagoya also has an excellent concert hall. The architecture combines classical "shoebox" acoustics with modern arena elements: ideal conditions for a perfect concert, dynamics and balance were perfectly harmonised in the hall. After the final applause, we travelled straight on to Osaka. While we were still travelling, our luggage had long since arrived at the hotel.

Culinary-wise, however, Japan sometimes presented us with challenges. After the end of the concert, many restaurants were already closed, most of the kitchens closing around 9.00 pm to 9.30 pm. So after the concert in Nagoya, we stormed the small shops and food stalls in the station together, stocking up on bento boxes, snacks and drinks.

The tour concluded with a return to the Osaka Symphony Hall, where we had already played in 2023. The Kuhn organ in the hall immediately made us feel at home. Excellent sightlines, impressive acoustics and great transparency even in the densely orchestrated passages made the hall the ideal venue for Bruckner's 4th Symphony. The huge applause at the end felt like the perfect conclusion to an intensive and successful tour.

Special thanks go to our tour doctor Michel Trösch, who, as always, looked after the patients with great calm and attention. Our fellow travellers Adèle Zahn Bodmer (member of the Board of Directors) and René Rausenberger (Treasurer of the Board of Friends) also enjoyed the close proximity to the orchestra and the insight into life on tour. Our orchestral technology team once again worked together with the local teams in a highly professional manner - as soon as the concert was over, the equipment disappeared with impressive speed, making it look as if we had never been there.

And perhaps one thing in particular will be remembered in the end: the audience in Japan. Young, attentive, disciplined and at the same time full of passion for classical music. There are historical reasons why Western classical music still plays such an important role here today. After the Second World War, music lessons were heavily focussed on Western music. Many children learn the violin or piano instead of traditional instruments such as shô or shakuhachi. Beethoven in particular occupies an almost mythical place - his Ninth Symphony is an integral part of the New Year's Eve gala for many people in Japan.

Perhaps this is precisely the special connection between Japan and European classical music: in a highly regulated and structured society, music creates spaces for longing, emotion and freedom. It was precisely this intensity that could be felt in each of our concerts.

And finally, a few words about our cow "Toni". She also accompanied our tour and provided some cheerful photographic moments.

The Japan tour was supported by Merbag.