Antonio Pappano conducts Santa Cecilia Orchestra in Siena's Piazza del Campo

On July 16, 2021, conductor Antonio Pappano will lead the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in a symphonic concert at Piazza del Campo in Siena, as part of the Chigiana International Festival & Summer Academy 2021. The program features Verdi's 'Nabucco' overture, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto performed by Russian virtuoso Ilya Gringolts (a violin professor at the Chigiana Academy), and Beethoven's Symphony No. 7. The concert starts at 21:30, ends after 23:00, and will be broadcast live on Rai Radio 3, with delayed TV broadcasts on RAIUNO, RAIN5, and RAIPlay. Access to the square is limited to 1,000 seated spectators with tickets or reservations from commercial establishments, following anti-COVID regulations. Siena's mayor Luigi De Mossi noted that this marks the return of symphonic music to Piazza del Campo after 30 years, achieved through joint efforts between the municipal administration and the Accademia Chigiana. The article also criticizes the city's public art installations, describing them as bizarre and out of place.