“One of the most charismatic and acclaimed conductors in the world” Sir Antonio Pappano appears on the BBC World Service on Saturday 12 October in a special edition of The Arts Hour at 8pm BST. Pappano will be discussing his life and career as he approaches his 60th birthday this December, talking to Jon Tolansky about his passion for making music easily available for everyone, especially younger generations. Pappano will be joined by members of the National Youth Orchestra of the USA, with whom he toured over the summer, to discuss how classical music can speak to a young global audience today and their own experiences in the industry.

The NYO-USA tour included visits to major venues in the US and Europe, notably the orchestra’s home of Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, as well as a stunningly acclaimed BBC Proms performance pairing Berlioz’s ethereal Les Nuits d’Ete with Strauss’s monumental Alpine Symphony. Kevin Ng from Bachtrack noted “Though the orchestral forces are modest by Berlioz’s standards, the orchestral writing is a marvel of understatement, and Pappano and his orchestra achieved some of the most ravishing playing of the afternoon. In contrast to the blazing virtuosity of Strauss, the wind and brass writing demands a different tonal palette altogether; the orchestral suggestions of wind and light and water of Théophile Gautier’s poetry were atmospherically conveyed.” Alexander Campbell of Classical Source praised a “refreshingly direct reading [of the Alpine Symphony], expertly handled, full of sonic thrills.”

Pappano’s 19/20 began with him leading performances of ‘Otello’ and ‘Faust’ with the Royal Opera in Japan, and this week and next he opens the new season at the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’ with Berlioz’s ‘Grand Messe des Morts’ and ‘Symphonie Fantastique’.

Listen to Sir Antonio Pappano on The Arts Hour here

Orchestra and Choir of the National Academy of Santa Cecilia Opening Performance