Although Antonio Pappano was born in England, his name and surname betray his Latin origins. From Italy, to be more precise. He is a conductor and pianist and will be one of the main guests of the Auditorium Concerts program conducting the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. His concert will be held tomorrow, Thursday, at eight in the evening. He will perform together with violinist Janine Jansen.
He is English with Italian ancestry.
I’d say I’m sort of an Anglo-Italian.
-Then you’ll go to the World Cup with England, since Italy didn’t qualify.
I wish England would win because they haven’t won since 1966 and it’s been a long time.
–Who has more pressure, a conductor or a footballer?
–Actually, being a conductor is very good because you master all languages and it allows you to get to know different styles of music. I feel very fortunate to be able to dedicate myself to this. We have more flexibility, we don’t have that pressure.
–How do you prepare for a concert like the one you are giving tomorrow in Oviedo?
-Studying hard. I’ll arrive a day early with the intention of mixing things up, but I think we worked really well together with Janine Jansen (violinist). The program also includes pieces of folklore which I really like.
Have you chosen the repertoire?
– Yes, mostly. Some pieces were probably chosen by Janine Jansen, but they correspond to my idea. In the end, most of the show was up to me.
How did you choose the pieces?
–Most of them are 20th century songs, let’s start with Ravel. With some very sweet songs. We have great musicians in the orchestra and what we have done is choose songs that are top notch. Ravel’s “Le tombeau de Couperin” is ideal for them. We also have a piece by Sergei Prokofiev which we often play with Janine Jansen. In the end, it’s Russian music introduced by a French piece, but it makes sense because Prokofiev spent a lot of time in Paris. And we will finish the program with a very popular song like Galanta Dances by Zoltán Kodály, Hungarian music. It’s a dance song, very warm, wonderful, very lyrical and rhythmic. And it’s a great end point to the show.
–How is the classical music of health?
It depends on where you are. I’ve just been to Madrid for four days and there’s a very loyal audience there and there’s a lot of people who go to concerts. But instead in Italy and Germany there is less public. This situation is something that comes from the pandemic, because many theaters in Madrid have not been closed as long as in those countries. There is a comeback in theaters, but that comeback is very slow. This pandemic has done damage, there’s no doubt about that, we’re still starting to improve.
Has the audience profile changed?
I don’t think it has changed. But we see that classical music attracts more and more young people. Traditionally this was music that people entered late.
–But young people prefer reggaeton.
I also like pop music. You may like more than one genre. Music is something to discover and you have to be open to it.
How do you prepare for concerts? Do you need to exercise?
I usually keep moving. Because when you conduct an orchestra you have to move a lot, even if your legs move little, I try to walk a lot. But you have to be careful with your diet and get a soda and eat vegetables the day before the concert.
