NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Antonio Pappano has gone underground since leaving The Royal Opera for the London Symphony Orchestra.
鈥淣ow, more often than not, I take the Tube, which I never did when I was at the opera house because I had a car service,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his is a more streamlined organization, if you like.鈥�
A 65-year-old conductor who was Covent Garden鈥檚 music director from 2002-24, Pappano succeeded Simon Rattle as the LSO鈥檚 chief conductor last September and has a quick commute from his home in Hampstead to the LSO's Barbican Centre base. He is leading the orchestra on a 13-concert U.S. tour to California, Florida and New York that culminates this week with its first Carnegie Hall appearances since 2005.
鈥淓verything is very much based on the voice for Tony because of his opera background,鈥� said Maxine Kwok, an LSO violinist since 2001 and a member of its board. 鈥淪o it all comes down to emotions and how you would phrase things if you were singing.鈥�
Pappano was born in England and moved to Bridgeport, Connecticut, with his family when he was 13. A son of a voice teacher, he became a rehearsal pianist at the Connecticut Grand Opera at 17 and then at New York City Opera at 21. He worked as assistant to Daniel Barenboim on 鈥淭ristan,鈥� the Ring Cycle and 鈥淧arsifal鈥� at the Bayreuth Festival and debuted in 1991 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago and in 1994 at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where Barenboim was music director.
鈥淚 probably shouldn鈥檛 have been in front of some of the big symphony orchestras, Chicago Symphony, for sure. That came a little bit too soon,鈥� Pappano said. 鈥滲ut I survived and then hopefully you learn from those mistakes of timing. In terms of the long-term positions I鈥檝e had, I don鈥檛 think I鈥檝e put a foot wrong.鈥�
He was music director of Oslo鈥檚 Den Norske Opera from 1990-92, Brussels鈥� Th茅芒tre Royal de la Monnaie from 1992-2002 and Rome鈥檚 Orchestra dell鈥橝ccademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia from 2005-23, often working with his wife, vocal coach Pamela Bullock. While Pappano grew up in the U.S., he has concentrated his career in Europe.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of turmoil in the States, well, all over the world at the moment, and I don鈥檛 miss that,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 concerned about the way America is going, if I鈥檓 honest. I also worry about the degree to which art in general is treated like some kind of elitist domain to an even greater degree than it is over here. We have to fight that sentiment over here because the easiest thing to cut in a budget is the arts budget.鈥�
Clive Gillinson, then LSO鈥檚 managing director, engaged Pappano for a 1996 recording of Puccini鈥檚 鈥淟a Rondine鈥� with Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Roberto Alagna at London鈥檚 Abbey Road Studios.
鈥淚 thought he should be given a chance as a symphonic conductor because there was very little track record,鈥� said Gillinson, now Carnegie Hall鈥檚 executive director. 鈥淭o be honest, in those early days, I didn鈥檛 think he was a great symphonic conductor. It took him time."
Pappano led his first LSO concert performance the following January at the Barbican.
鈥淚t was clear right from the get-go that he kind of got the LSO and we very much got him,鈥� said Neil Percy, a principal percussion who has been with the LSO since 1990. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in his soul, man. You can see it in his skin. He just understands opera kind of like no other conductor that I鈥檝e ever been fortunate enough to work with.鈥�
Pappano debuted at The Royal Opera in Puccini鈥檚 鈥淟a Boh猫me鈥� in 1990 and was 32 when he became its youngest music director, following distinguished predecessors Rafael Kubelik, Georg Solti, and .
Pappano announced in March 2021 he was switching to the LSO, an ensemble known for its work on movie soundtracks that include 鈥淪tar Wars.鈥� and decided he wanted to .
鈥淲e're chalk and cheese, as they say in England," Pappano explained.
鈥淲ith Simon Rattle there鈥檚 an incredible precision in the approach to the playing,鈥� said Kathryn McDowell, who succeeded Gillinson as the LSO鈥檚 managing director. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a different sound with Antonio Pappano... it鈥檚 got a real sort of sheen.鈥�
Pappano is continuing to lead Covent Garden's production premieres of Barrie Kosky鈥檚 staging of the Ring, with 鈥淒ie Walk眉re鈥� opening May 1, 鈥淪iegfried鈥� next season and 鈥淕枚tterd盲mmerung in 2026-27, but his successor, Jakub Hr暖拧a, will be in charge of the full cycle in 2027-28.
When Pappano conducted the finale of Maher's Symphony No. 1 in Naples, Florida, last week, he was struck by a realization.
鈥淚鈥檝e never had anything like this under my hands. What a lucky sod I am,鈥� he recalled thinking. 鈥淭hat life underneath every note, that was always the calling card of this orchestra. If you could stoke that flair, that theatricality that they have, it鈥檚 quite something.鈥�
Ronald Blum, The Associated Press
